A Second Chance
by HarryPotterTwin
Summary: What if Lee got a second chance in life? A chance to do things right? What if he got to see everyone again? What if he got the redemption he wanted? (1st chapter only a teaser/lead-up chapter)
1. Teaser Chapter

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 1**

"You're strong Clem… You… You can do anything." I rasped, my dark skin paling by the second. I knew if she didn't do it soon, I would turn.

"But…I'm little." She replied, blood sprinkling her cheeks and hazel eyes.

"Doesn't mean nothin." I stated "You're going to see bad stuff, but its okay."

"My parents. It's so horrible." She bubbled, looking downcast.

"I can't imagine, sweet pea." I said, practically begging her to forgive me for doing this.

"And now…You? PLEASE…please don't be one of them. Please don't become a walker." She pleaded, breaking my heart in two.

"There's only one thing you can do. You know that." I gestured to the dead guard's gun with stump. Her eyes followed where it was pointing and immediately snapped back to me, shocked.

"I don't know if I can." She whimpered, obviously disappointed with herself.

"You have to shoot me, honey." I said, stating the horrible truth.

"Lee, no…" She moaned, making me choke back sobs.

"It's okay. It's okay." I assured, resting my head on the wall behind me. Raising it once again, I decided to tell her my biggest regret. "In Macon… the first days we met, do you remember?"

"Yeah, I do." She said, her hazel eyes meeting my dark ones.

"When I went out to rescue that boy Glenn, we met a girl. She'd been bitten, too. All she wanted was to not come back as a walker." I muttered.

"Lee…" Clementine interrupted. I, however, kept talking.

"And I remember how hard it was to do that. But I'm glad I did. You don't want to see me like one of them" I choked, swallowing a huge lump in my throat. I could feel my entire body burning as we spoke. I knew it was a matter of time now.

"Okay, Lee… I can do it. I can." She sobbed. Deep down, I knew that she would have a great life. Yet, somehow, I was jealous that Christa and Omid would be the ones to see it. I had protected this little girl with everything I had.

"Find Omid…and…Christa. They're outside of town…by the train. You remember how to get there?" I murmured, knowing my time was coming.

"Yes." She answered, not looking at me, scared to look.

"They'll take good care of you." I stated. Seeing her nod, I knew she could do it. She began sobbing ant it tore my slowly beating heart to pieces. This girl was everything to me. How could I put her through this? "And Clem…"

We looked each other in the eyes for a long moment

"Keep that hair short."

"I will. I'll cut it myself." She promised, looking directly into my yellowing eyes.

"Great. Good." I said, feeling myself slipping away. "And also…"

Darkness consumed me for the briefest of moments, scaring me witless.

"What, what is it?" Her voice asked, snapping me out of my death-like state.

"No, don't worry. All right…" I breathed, pausing ever so slightly. "I'll miss you."

"Me too." She acknowledged, slowly standing up. She raised the gun as high as her arms would allow her, took aim and lowered it slightly. She took a few steadying breaths. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see her pain. I heard the flick of the safety catch.

**Blam!**

Nothingness.


	2. Reunited

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 2**

My eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the bright white light. I felt clean. I felt safe. Looking down, I saw my blue buttoned shirt and slacks had been cleaned. How though? I died. Clem had to shoot me. Looking at my stump, I saw my arm had come back.

"How the…?" I started, only to be stopped by a very deep, masculine voice.

"Now, now Lee. Let's have none of that language." It said, echoing around the room.

"Who the hell are you?!" I shouted, standing abruptly and staring around into nothingness.

"I am the Lord God." It replied, making me take a sharp intake of breath.

"How do I know that?" I replied wittily, having learned not to trust ANYONE.

"I know that you and a Carley Palmer had a certain romantic rendezvous. I know that you had secretly started a relationship." It replied cockily.

"How the fucking hell do you know that?" I growled. In the corner of my eye, I saw a door appear. I shuffled towards it, my hand outstretched.

"Well, Lee, go through." The voice started as I was about to turn the knob. "There's some people through there you'd like to meet."

Pushing the door lightly, I was met by another white room, this time, though, it was filled with people. I knew them. Katjaa, Duck, Ben, Doug, Larry, Kenny and… Carley.

"Lee!" She cried, running into my open arms. I happily returned the hug.

"Oh my god… I'm sorry, Car…" I muttered, cherishing her scent.

"What for? You made me so happy for a weeks. Even in that cruel world." She said, kissing my cheeks. I could feel tears streaming down both of our faces.

"I let her get you. I wasn't fast enough." I sobbed, hugging her harder.

"Oh, Lee, baby. Don't worry. I didn't know until I woke up here. I'm fine." She assured. I raised my head and kissed her lips forcefully yet tenderly. I treasured this moment as if it would never happen again.

"Hey, Lee!" I heard a high pitched voice call. I broke away from Carley, still keeping a comforting arm around her slender shoulders. I looked down and saw Duck. At that moment, I remembered Clementine.

"What happened to her? To Clem?" I shouted, hoping that the disembodied voice could hear me.

"She grew up to become one of the coldest, most guarded people on this earth. After shooting you, she found and killed her parents, meaning she was truly alone. After hours of walking, she came across Omid and Christa. Hearing what had happened; Christa went into shock and miscarried." It replied, causing me to curse myself.

"_How could you get bit? How? You left Clem! You bastard, Lee!"_

"What can I do?" I asked, hoping there was something.

"That is what I have gathered you for." The voice replied. "I have a proposition for you all. I will send you back to just after you spared Danny St John's life. Lee and Carley will be the only ones to remember any of this. On one condition: You have to forget the idea of a boat. Take the train but don't go to Savannah."

"I- I don't know." I replied. I felt Carley's eyes boring into the back of my head.

"Can we have a moment to discuss it?" Carley asked, squeezing my hand lightly.

"Of course." The voice replied.

"Thanks." She replied. Once we were sure he was gone, the buzz of conversation started.

"Well…" Kenny started. " I reckon we should do it. Only this time, don't take the food from the camper."

"Yeah… What about Larry? He was hurt in that locker." I asked before the man in question could start.

"I'll be fine." I replied, surprising us all. "Just make sure Lilly doesn't make the same mistake."

"Okay, are we all settled?" I asked, looking around at everyone's faces.

"Yeah." They all mumbled, looking happier than they did when I walked in.

"We're gonna take you up on that offer." I called to the mysterious voice.

"Great." It replied. "Next time you see each other, you will be on the St John's Dairy." I could feel myself slipping away. I called to Carley, telling her to come straight to the Dairy.

**Blackness**

"OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR! YOU CAN'T KEEP US IN HERE! OPEN UP! I WILL TEAR YOU FUCKERS APART WITH MY BARE HANDS!" Larry's voice shouted, mingling with the sounds of Lilly being sick.

"Will you stop that banging? We gotta find another way outta here!" I heard Kenny shout.

"YOU SICK FUCKING BASTARDS!" Larry shouted once again. I shifted my focus around, eventually landing on my girl. Everything about her was perfect. Her curly hair stuffed under a cap, her eyes, her dress. I had never been so pleased to see anyone.

"Dad, Stop!" I heard Lilly shout as the girl in question ran to me.

"Lee!" Clementine said, kneeling in front of me. "It…it was a person!They tried to make us eat a person.

"But you didn't do it." I assured, gathering her in my arms for a long anticipated hug.

"No…" She replied as I let her go.

"THE REST OF US DID, GOD DAMNIT! IF YOU HADN'T DRAGGED YOUR FEET!" Larry accused, turning to glare at me.

"C'mon, Dad. Now's not the time." Lilly soothed, turning to her Dad.

I turned my attention to the girl next to me.

"You okay, Clementine? They didn't hurt you, did they?" I asked, genuinely scared for the girl I considered my daughter.

"Mm- mm" She replied, shaking her head.

"OPEN UP!" Larry bellowed again, smacking the door with all his might.

"Lee, those psychos have my family, and we're stuck in a damn meat locker! We've gotta get the fuck outta here!" Kenny ranted, gesturing wildly.

"This goddamn thumbsucker was the one who brought us here!" Larry accused again, abandoning his post.

"Will you all just shut the fuck up?!" Kenny shouted, squaring up to the larger man. I heaved myself up and looked to Clementine.

"I'm scared!" She said, speaking only to me.

"Don't be. It's gonna be okay…I'm gonna find us a way out of here…" I assured, tapping the peak of her cap. My eyes were drawn to the vent. Suddenly, I heard Larry grunt. I knew what was happening. He had collapsed.

"DAD!" I heard Lilly shriek. Larry thudded to the ground "No! Dad, come on! DAD!"

She directed her speech towards "Oh God, he's stopped breathing. I think he's had a heart attack!"

"Shit! Is he dead?" Kenny asked, looking genuinely scared.

"He's not dead! Somebody help me!" Lilly screamed, performing chest compressions.

"Fuuuuuuck…If he's dead…" Kenny started, only to be cut off mid-sentence.

"HE'S NOT DEAD!" She growled, looking at me desperately.

"You know what has to happen, Lee." Kenny said, pulling my attention to him. "Think about it. You saw that poor bastard at the motel. How fast he turned."

"What are you saying?" Lilly asked, looking at us both.

"Lilly, I'm sorry. I truly, truly am. But in a few minutes, we're gonna be stuck in a locked room with a 6-foot-four, 300 pound, SERIOUSLY pissed off dead guy!" He replied, looking genuinely upset.

"FUCK YOU! We can bring him back! LEE!" She retorted, pleading with me.

"We'll mourn him later. But right now, we have to keep him from comin' back." Kenny consoled.

"Noooo!" Clementine shrieked from the corner.

"God dammit, Kenny! He's not dead!" The woman shouted, continuing the CPR she was conducting.

"We can't kill him if he's not dead, Kenny!" I shouted, irritated by his attitude.

"You remember how hard it was for you to get that monster off of Katjaa? And Larry's twice his size. It's him or us!" He retorted, glaring at me.

"Kenny, listen-" I started, only to be cut off by the older man.

"Don't think I forgot about what you said at the drug store… when you all thought Duck was bitten… Well I'm just doing the same thing. Except Duck wasn't bitten, and we KNOW this guy's not gonna make it." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "Remember what Ben said. Gotta destroy the brain… Come on Lee. You can't be in the middle on this one. You've gotta have my back this time!"

"God dammit Lee! I NEED you" Please help me!" Lilly pleaded, on the verge of tears. I raced to her side, kneeling as I went.

"Is he breathing at all?" I asked, looking at her in the eyes.

"No, no I don't think so." She cried, her voice cracking momentarily.

"Okay, let me take over! Keep checking his pulse!" I insisted. When she moved her hands, I kept the chest compressions going. Unknown to us, Kenny had his own plan.

"Are you stupid?! He's gonna turn! You're putting all of us at risk, you son of a bitch!" He shouted, heaving the heavy salt lick into his arms.

One!

Two!

"You're fucking worthless, Lee." Kenny shouted, I could tell he was next to me.

Three!

**SPLAT!**

Larry's head was smashed open. All over the floor. I saw Lilly break down silently, not wanting to show weakness in front of us.

"NOOOOOOO!" She screamed, allowing her emotions to overtake her. I was speechless. I had lived through it once yet it seemed more real this time. I knew this could happen to me. I turned and glared at Kenny, too shocked for words.

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I just- It had to be done!" He stammered, backing into the wall as I approached him.

"You don't know that!" I growled, squaring my shoulders.

"Yes I do, Lee! And so do you! I was counting on you, man." Disappointment was evident in his face. I didn't care, though. He turned his attention to Lilly, walking over to her and crouching to her level.

"I'm sorry, I know it-"

"Don't you fucking touch me!" She snapped, moving away from the man who had killed her father.

I heard Clementine weeping from the corner and my attention immediately went to her. I crouched to my knees and brought her in for a hug.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, rubbing her back.

"Is it over?" She asked, still weeping into my shoulder.

"Yes. For now. But we still need to find a way out of here…" I said softly. "Shh…I know, I know. But you gotta be strong right now. I need you to be strong right now. I need you to be strong. Think about something else… something hopeful."

"Like what?" She asked, I released her and held her shoulders firmly.

"How about your walkie-talkie… those pretend talks with your Mom and Dad. Don't those make you feel better?" I suggested, smiling reassuringly at her.

"Sometimes." She agreed, nodding slightly. "We're gonna get out, right? You found a way out?"

"I'm workin' on it!" I said, standing and looking at the vent.

_I think I've found it!_


	3. A Romantic Walk

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 3**

Stepping outside into the pouring rain, I allowed myself a moment to think.

_What the hell happens next? Think, Lee! Think!_

I heard the familiar sound of rustling to my right. I looked over and saw a walker. It's green-grey shirt showing clearly through the crop. A swishing noise caused me to jump about a mile. I then realized who had made the noise.

Carley!

"Carley!" I said in a carried whisper, alerting her.

"Lee?" She asked, squinting through the rain. "Is everyone okay? We heard screams as we were coming up to the house!"

"We need your help!" I panicked, noticing Ben stood behind her.

"Yeah, when you guys didn't come back I figured something was up." She replied sarcastically. "What can we do?"

"Larry's dead. They chopped off Mark's legs and tried to feed them to us!" I urged, allowing myself to become worried.

"Shit! Is everyone else okay?" She asked, genuinely worried.

"They've still got Kenny in the house and I don't know where the fuck Kenny is!"

"All right, we're coming in to help." She said, worry now evident in her face.

"The main gate is too dangerous, go around the fence and see if there's a back way in. I'll keep looking for Kenny." I paused, remembering what I said before. "Do you have a weapon?"

"I don't leave home without it." She said, holding up her Glock 17 and winking. "Ben, stay close. And Lee, be careful."

"Don't worry, I will." I said, winking back. Ben was completely oblivious to our private moment.

Slowly, I crept towards the main house. I could hear Katjaa's screams coming from inside. Now was the time.

**Twenty Minutes Later**

Striding through the forest, I held onto Carley's hand tightly. It had been way too long. Duck and Clementine walked with Kenny and Katjaa.

"So…" Carley started, gently squeezing my hand. I turned my head to look at her.

"So…" I repeated, making her smile. You have no idea how good her smile looked. It was angelic.

"Where did you…you know?" She asked. I somehow understood her.

"Meat locker. Lilly was throwing up in the corner and Kenny was pacing." I replied, smiling slightly at her.

"Good. At least they didn't cut your arm off." She joked, recalling my 'stump'.

"Hey! I'll have you know I didn't want to do it. I had to." I laughed, bringing her in for a hug.

"I missed you." She muttered, allowing herself to relax in my arms.

"I missed you, too." I stated, rubbing my thumb over her knuckles. I released her and began walking again, never letting go of her hand.

"Lee!" Clementine shouted "I found some really neat leaves! Can I take some back to the motor-inn? Can I? Please?"

"Sure, sweet-pea." I replied, earning a giggle from Carley. "What's tickled you?"

"You are a natural with kids. I like it." She smiled, causing me to blush.

"Hey, Lee." Kenny called. I knew what this was about.

"Yeah?" I asked, releasing Carley's hand and catching up to him.

"There's a station wagon over there." He stated, nodding towards the car in question.

"Yeah." I noted, knowing full well where this was going.

"Well, there's supplies. Food, water, light, clothes and guns." He explained. I simply stayed quiet. "Maybe we should…"

"No. Don't even think about it, Ken!" I warned, glaring at the older man.

"Why the fuck not?!" He questioned, glaring back at me.

"This is someone's car! They've obviously left it here for a reason!" I shouted.

"Look, we're taking this!" He shouted back, squaring up to me. I felt a slight twinge of happiness when he winced from the gunshot wound.

"No, we're not! We aren't taking this! That's final!" I growled, drawing myself to my full height.

"Lee's right. We shouldn't take this." Carley said, walking over to us.

"Oh, go on; stick up for your boyfriend why don't you?" He snapped, making my anger flare up.

"Don't talk to her like that. Do you hear me?" I growled. The only thing that stopped me from hitting him was Carley's small hand in mine.

"Whatever. We're takin' this. With or without you." He snarled, his moustache bristling. I made an obscene hand gesture towards him, causing my girlfriend to elbow me in the ribs.

"Lee! The kids!" She hissed. I looked around to see Clementine staring at us, open mouthed.

"Lets get going."

**The Motor Inn**

"I still can't believe you took it." I grumbled, looking at Kenny.

"Hey! It was out there for the taking." He retorted, defending his actions.

"It doesn't mean it was abandoned!" I shouted, turning quickly and marching towards him. In my mind, I knew I was screwed. We'd taken the food. He was going to go after Clem.

"I'm fucked." I stated to Carley. She turned to look at me with a confused look on her face.

"Lee, baby, don't say that. She doesn't have the batteries. I didn't give her them." She replied, taking my face in her hands. I wrapped my arms around her waist gently.

"I love you Carley Palmer." I stated quietly so only she would hear.

"And I love you, Lee Everett." She replied, kissing my on the lips.

"Eww!" Duck exclaimed, obviously having seen our confrontation.

"Thanks, Duck." I stated, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Shit." Carley exclaimed. My head snapped around as fast as it could, almost giving me whiplash.

"What's up?" I asked, worried out of my skull. She was clutching her stomach and wincing in pain.

"Nothing… Um…women's problems." She blushed. I scrunched my face up in confusion.

"What? Women's problems?" I asked, still confused.

"_Women's problems!" _She hissed. Seeing my overly confused face, she went on tiptoe and whispered in my ear.

"Oh!" I said, realizing what she meant. Surely, after years of being married, I would know that!

"Yeah. I don't have any…supplies." She stated, embarrassed.

"Not to worry, milady. Mr Everett is on the case." I said, bowing melodramatically. "After being married and growing up in a Pharmacy, I know what to get."

"Thanks Lee. You're the best." She replied, giggling at my acting skills.

"Hey, Lilly! Fancy going to the Pharmacy?" I shouted, striding over to where she stood.  
"Why would I want to?" She asked monotonously, not bothering to look at me.

"We…um…need some feminine supplies for Carley." I stated, pleading with her.

"Why doesn't _she_ go with you?" She spat, obviously pissed.

"She…um… is in pain." I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Ugh. Fine. When do you want to head out?" She asked, staring at me through red-rimmed eyes.

"Now. If that's okay." I replied, hoping she was in a relatively stable state of mind.

"Yeah. Just let us put these supplies away." She replied, going back to her work. I silently let out a breath I had been holding. Turning, I gave Carley a thumbs up, smiling widely.

"Thanks Lee." She mouthed.

"No problem" I mouthed back, my attention going to Clementine, who was rubbing her leaves.

My life was pretty good. Despite the circumstances.


	4. What the fuck?

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 4**

**_Three Days Later_**

Lying next to Carley's sleeping form, my mind drifted back to that afternoon. Lilly had walked in on our 'private time'. It was only our third time. She had wasted no time letting everyone know. Sure, it was a running joke within the group that Carley and I spent a LOT of time together. The only person who knew that we were together was Katjaa. She looked after Clem when we had one of our 'dates'. Looking at the small woman in my arms, I thought about how lucky I was. It was a Zombie Apocalypse, yet, I had my Girlfriend and my little girl. I knew Clementine wasn't family, although, I classed her as my daughter. I loved both of them dearly.

"Lee…" I heard a small voice call. I turned over, onto my back, without waking Carley. It was Clementine. It looked like she'd been crying.

"Hey sweet-pea." I cooed, untangling my arm from under Carley. "Whats wrong?"

"I- I had a bad dream." She muttered, embarrassed.

"Aww, come here honey." I whispered, feeling Carley stir beside me.

"Lee? What's happening?" I heard her murmur, her voice thick with sleep.

"Clem had a nightmare." I said, embracing the small girl in my arms.

"Can-can I come in here with you?" She asked, wrapping her thin arms around my neck. I looked at Carley, silently asking her permission. Earning a smile and nod, I lifted Clementine onto the bed. She rested between us, curling into a little ball.

"How's that?" I asked, giving her my share of the blanked and tucking her in.

"Good. Thanks Dad." She muttered, drifting off to sleep. Carley and I shared a very significant look. My entire being was shaken.

She considered me as her Dad?

I slowly followed Clementine into sleep, allowing darkness to take over.

**_Seven Hours Later_**

"Lee!" I heard. I immediately bolted upright, grabbing my gun off the rickety bedside table and pointing it at the source of the noise.

"Woah!" Carley shouted, raising her hands into a surrender.

"Sorry." I apologised, putting the gun down and rubbing my eyes. I looked around, noticing the missing weight to my left. "Where's Clem?"

"She went to get her rations. She's with Duck." Carley replied, shuffling over to me and rubbing my shoulders. I slumped them slightly, relishing the touch of her hands.

"Does that feel good?" She asked, kissing my neck softly.

"Oh yeah." I grunted, turning my head to look at her. Capturing her lips with mine, I allowed my hands to roam up her torso. Earning a satisfied moan, I slowly moved my hands further up her body, gliding my fingertips over her smooth, pale skin.

"I. Love. You. Lee. Everett." She said, punctuating each word with a kiss. I groaned as I allowed myself to become lost in our lovemaking.

"I love you too, Carley Palmer." I replied, rolling us onto the lumpy mattress. All of a sudden, one of the springs gave way, springing through the fabric. I snapped my head up at the noise, jumping away from Carley at the same time.

"Well…" She said, leaning up on her elbows. "Mood killer, much."

"Sorry." I apologised, deciding against what we were about to do. I slowly pulled my jeans over my boxers and left my blue shirt on the floor.

"Where are you going?" She asked, cocking her head slightly.

"Um… I need to pee." I replied, watching her get up, throwing her vest over herself.

"Okay. I love you." She said, smiling to me as I shuffled to the door.

"Love you too." I laughed, walking outside. Immediately, the brisk coldness hit my bare arms. I wished that I put my shirt on. At least I would have been warm.

"Lee!" Kenny greeted, waving from atop the RV.

"Hey pal!" I cheered back, raising my hand slightly.

"How's the missus?" He chortled, wiping away sleep from his eyes.

"She's good. A little tired, though." I replied, chuckling at his expression.

"You're a dirty bastard, you know that." He mumbled, shaking his head and going back to his duty. I walked for a solid two minutes, finally arriving at my destination: the men's room. Striding inside, I unzipped my pants and allowed myself to relax. Looking around, I swore to myself, noticing that there was no Toilet Paper.

"Shit!" I spoke softly. I scanned the room again in case I missed some. Not. A. Chance. Randomly, the bin came into my focus. A heap of unused paper was stuffed in there. Reaching in, I grabbed a few pieces. I went to grab more when my hand bumped against something long and thin.

"What the…" I wondered, picking it up in my large hands. The long, white rod shook in my hands. Nobody needed to tell me what that was. How the… Well…I knew how. The question was:

_Who?_

_"Who the hell would keep this from us?! It's not Katjaa. Kenny's on the night watch. It's not Lilly. That means…" _

"Carley!" I bolted from the bathroom, placing the test in my back pocket. I saw that everyone was gathered under the RV's awning, eating their breakfasts. I decided to put it off 'til later.

"Hey Lee!" Clementine greeted, running up to me and grabbing my hand.

"Hey sweet-pea. Sleep well?" I asked while she was leading me over to my seat next to her (and Carley).

"Yeah. Sorry for waking you up." She apologised, handing me a lump of cheese.

"Thanks hon. It's okay, I wasn't asleep anyway." I replied, feeling Carley's stare on the back of my neck.

"Are you feeling okay, Lee? I have some sleeping pills if you need them." Katjaa asked, creasing her eyebrows in concern.

"No thanks. I'm fine. I just had a lot on my mind." I replied, smiling at her thoughtfulness.

"Are you sure, baby? You _were_ kinda funny this morning." Carley asked, feeling my forehead. I immediately snapped my head away from her touch.

"_Yes!_ I'm fine! Just back off!" I snapped, immediately feeling guilty afterwards. I said it angrier than I had meant to.

"Well, I'm only concerned." She snapped back, allowing her eyes to well up with tears.

"Car…" I started, only to be cut off.

"Forget it. I'm going to my look-out post." She said, allowing a few tears to fall. I had made another woman cry. I fucking hated myself.

"Right. I'm off." I muttered, stuffing the rest of my cheese into my mouth and standing, brushing the back of my jeans.

"Where to?" Kenny asked, stretching his back.

"Just out." I replied. I needed to think.

"I'll come with you." He replied, going to stand.

"No. I just…want some time alone." I replied.

"Okay pal. Whatever you say. If you need help, just holler."

"Yeah. Will do." I replied, heading to mine, Carley's and Clem's room. Walking in, I saw my red shirt hung over the chair and my leather jacket thrown on the floor. I dressed slowly, allowing myself more time to think. Once dressed appropriately, I walked outside, turning my collar up.

"Hey! Has anyone seen my gun?!" I called, noticing the faint buzz of conversation.

"Yeah. Your girlfriend can give you one." Lilly teased, glaring.

"Hey Car. Can you pass me your Glock?" I asked, earning a glare and a thunk to the head. I picked up the gun, all the while rubbing my head. Checking I had ammo, I walked out of the Motor-inn gates, relishing the alone time.


	5. Alone Time

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 5**

"Fuck!" I shouted, hitting a nearby tree. My Glock was in the back of my pants. So was Carley's pregnancy test. "How the fuck could this happen?! They spent months at a fucking pharmacy!"

I suddenly heard the sound of twigs snapping. My head snapped around as I raised my gun. A rabbit streaked past, allowing me to calm down.

"Get a grip, Lee." I scolded, keeping the handgun out. I began walking fast. Hours passed, walking in no particular direction. I then realized where I was. I had reached the crash site. The police cruiser still laid there, virtually untouched. I decided to check it out. Shuffling over, I saw that it was empty. I silently opened the door and searched through my belongings. Suddenly, my hand came into contact with something papery.

"Probably the divorce papers." I muttered, opening it up. I was wrong. It was mine and my ex-wife's wedding rings. I poured the contents into my hand, running a thumb over the trinkets. I felt warm tears flow, stinging my cold cheeks. How could she do that to me? We had been married for so long. I had loved her. She had loved me. It was all a lie.

"Come on, motherfucker. Stop this bullshit." I chastised, stuffing the rings in my pocket. I stood and continued walking. I began running, one thing on my mind.

**Carley's POV**

I looked up to see if Kenny saw anything. He had offered to take the rest of my shift because I had run to be sick. I subconsciously ran a hand gently over my stomach. Then it hit me. What had I done? I had let my baby's father go into that damned forest without company. I was such a bad girlfriend. I was going to be a bad mother. He had been gone for hours. Probably to hunt or take his anger out on something. I don't know how it had gotten to this. He probably hated me.

"Hey! Carley!" I heard Kenny shout, waving down from atop the RV. My eyes snapped up to be greeted by a smile. "He' s back."

"Lee!" Clementine shouted, obviously overhearing what Kenny said.

"Clementine! Don't leave the-" I said, only to have her run to meet him. "Inn."

**Lee's POV**

"Lee!" Clementine shouted, running into my open arms.

"Hey sweet-pea. How's everyone?" I greeted, picking up the rucksack I had with me.

"Everyone's good! I drew you a picture when you were gone!" She buzzed, dragging me along behind her.

"Woah! Slow down!" I laughed, letting her hand go to shift the dumpster back into place.

"Hey, Pal!" I heard Kenny shout.

"Yeah buddy!" I acknowledged, looking up slightly and wiping my brow of sweat.

"You're in trouble with the missus." He chuckled, flicking his head to the left. I looked over and saw Carley sitting in her lawn chair, a hand resting on her abdomen. I inwardly winced, knowing that my child, our child, was currently residing there.

"Got it." I replied, chuckling slightly. I saw everyone staring at my rucksack with confused looks on their faces.

"What's in there Lee?" Clementine asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"Well, it's a surprise for you; for your birthday." I replied, chuckling at her facial expression.

"How'd you know it's coming up?" She asked excitedly.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." I chuckled, tapping her nose lightly. I noticed that she had a piece of paper clutched in her tiny hands, hidden behind her back. "What's that you got there?"

"It's for you." She replied, looking slightly embarrassed. She held it out to me, opening it up.

"Aw, Clem. I love it." I praised, bringing her in for a hug. Truly, I did love it. It was of Clementine, Carley and I. The cartoon Clementine was perched on top of my shoulders with Carley holding my hand. We all had huge smiles on our faces. We stood in front of a square, yellow house and watched as the bees flew around.

"Really? It doesn't look dumb?" She asked, biting her lip gently.

"Heck no! I'll keep it right here forever. Okay?" I assured, folding it and putting it in the top pocket of my shirt.

"Thanks Lee!" She said, running away to play with Duck. I watched them for a while, just thinking about how good my life was. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Carley walk into our bedroom. Slowly, I followed her. Opening the door, I was met with a heart-breaking sight. Carley was curled up on the bed, crying silently. I sat down gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"When were you going to tell me?" I asked softly, feeling her tense.

"I… I was scared. I was going to take the morning after pill. I just couldn't. How do you know?" She replied, looking at me through red-rimmed eyes.

"I found your test in the bathroom." I said softly, grabbing it from my pocket. I held it up for her, showing her it.

"How could you have? It was hidden underneath paper. Unless you decided to root about for a while." She replied, confusion etched across her face.

"You kinda used all of the toilet paper to cover it. I saw it was clean and got some." I explained, removing my hand as she sat up.

"Well…What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be running scared?" She asked sarcastically, evidently hurt by the way I had acted that morning.

"I'm here because I love you. You are carrying my baby. I couldn't think of anywhere better to be right now." I sighed, coming clean to her. "I'm sorry about this morning. I was scared as shit."

"Hey, I overreacted. I'm sorry for not telling you." She sniffed, wiping her eyes gently.

"Oh baby, it's fine. I actually have something to give you." I said, producing the envelope from my pocket.

"Um…why would I need an envelope?" She asked, chuckling slightly.

"It's what's _in_ the envelope." I said, urging her to open it. "Go on."

"Oh, Lee!" She said, watching the rings tumble into her hand. A diamond engagement ring, a woman's wedding ring and my wedding ring. "Where did you get these?"

"I went back to the crash I was in. I searched through my old stuff, hence the rucksack. That envelope was in my old jacket. I went to Clem's old house, too. I got her birthday present." I replied, taking my ring in my hand.

"These were yours?" She asked, examining them in awe.

"Well, this one was," I said, holding up my ring. It was slightly thicker than the others and was made of gold. It was worn in, owing to the fact that I never took it off. I then gestured to the ones in her hands. "Those, however, belonged to my _lovely_ wife."

"Lee, you don't have to do this, you know?" She stated, obviously picking up on my sarcasm.

"I know. I want to. It's more of a promise, really. That's why I want you to wear the band. I'll wear mine." I explained, taking her hands into mine.

"Oh, Lee. Of course I will." She replied, kissing me forcefully.

"I love you." I said, hugging her close.

"I love you too. Now, am I going to have to put this ring on myself?" She asked, chuckling slightly.

"Of course not, smalls." I replied, slipping it on her slender finger and chuckling at her mock-angry face.

"Don't call me small, Everett." She warned, slipping mine on. I grabbed her and kissed her as passionately as I could.


	6. Invasion

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 6**

Three days had passed. It had gone relatively well. The odd walker here and there; nothing we couldn't handle. The group still didn't know about our impending parenthood. I say that, however, people were starting to notice her little quirks. Once, Carley threw up while we were making the fence. When she was asked about it, she said it was just the lingering smell of walkers. They were having NONE of it. Now, more than ever, it was important that I kept her alive.

I awoke on that morning to Clementine hovering over me.

"Hey, Lee!" She greeted, stuffing her cap on her head.

"Hey sweet-pea… Happy birthday." I replied, seeing her face break into a smile.

"You remembered!" She buzzed, obviously ecstatic. I sat up to hug her. Beside me, I felt the slight weight of Carley sleeping.

"Of course I did. How can I forget my favourite girl turning nine?" I replied, bringing her in for a hug.

"Wanna come out for breakfast? Everyone's up." She asked, tugging my hand slightly.

"Sure, you wanna wake Carley up while I get ready?" I asked, earning an enthusiastic nod.

"Yeah!" She replied, bounding over to Carley's side of the bed.

"Carley! Wake up!" She said. I noticed that she was hitting the bed quite close to Carley's stomach. I was about to intervene when she woke up.

"Morning sweetheart…" She yawned, ruffling Clem's hair. "Happy Birthday!"

"Are we going now?" She asked, looking at me. Luckily, I slept in my jeans the night before. So had Carley. We recently found a baggy green shirt that would do for at least seven months. We started sleeping in our day clothes, in case of Clementine surprising us in the morning.

"Of course. Lead the way." I said, opening the door and gesturing them through. We walked over, Clementine in between us, holding our hands.

"Aw, look at them. A little family." Kenny teased as we took our seats.

"Shut it asshole." I joked, throwing a random piece of trash at him.

"Hey! Lee, none of that language!" Carley chastised. I laughed slightly, earning a playful slap on the arm.

"Yes dear…" I joked, earning a nod of approval from Kenny.

"Way to go, buddy! Already under the thumb!" He joked, clapping his hands jokingly.

"Yes sir! Well…" I said, turning to the little girl on my left. "You want your present now or later?"

"Um…" She considered, thinking hard. "Can I have it now please?"

"Of course, I'll get it." I said, standing up. I kissed Carley lightly on the lips and turned.

**Five Minutes Later**

"Hey, I'm back!" I called, sitting back down in the breakfast area. I handed Clementine a small parcel, hastily wrapped in a brown paper bag and tied with string.

"Wow! Thanks Lee!" She replied, taking the parcel and untying the string. The bag fell away and revealed a photo frame, a colouring book and some crayons. The photo was of her and her parents. "Where did you find it?"

"When I was angry that day, I went to Macon and dropped by your house. I went in and got those for you. The colouring book and Crayons were on the Kitchen counter and the Photo was on the phone table." I explained, watching tears stream down her face.

"Thank you Lee." She said, hugging me tightly, allowing me to pull her onto my knee.

"You're very welcome, sweet-pea. Everyone needs a photo of their parents." I replied, kissing her forehead lightly.

"Thank you… I …I… I don't know what to say…" She said, hugging into my chest.

"Don't say anything. You deserve this." I assured, smiling slightly. We had a grand time, sitting laughing and talking. I stood after an hour. "I need a pee."

"Okay, honey." Carley said, smiling at me as I went. I felt something drop out of my pocket. I thought nothing of it at the time.

**Ten Minutes Later**

I emerged from the bathroom feeling better than I had when I went in. I listened intently, not hearing any talk or laughter.

"_Weird…" _I muttered. Creeping to the corner for a better look at the main area. What I saw made my heart drop.

"DREW! Start puttin' your boot to these doors!" A man in a cap and sunglasses shouted, talking to a much younger man.

"Okay Boss!" The boy, obviously Drew, replied, walking to the nearest motel door. I saw Clem, Lilly, Katjaa, Kenny, Duck, Ben and Carley gathered in a circle. This wasn't meant to happen for another two days!

"Hey! Take it easy!" I said, emerging from my hiding spot and slowly walking forward.

"Hold it asshole!" The leader shouted, pointing his gun at me. Carley looked up and saw me approaching.

"Lee! Sto-" She shouted, only so be silenced by Drew. He grabbed the back of her hair, still holding his gun towards me.

"We have more supplies. We can keep the deal going." I compromised, fully aware of the glare that Lilly was sending my way.

"Too late shithead! We ain't giving second chances!"

"It was a mix-up! We'll make it worth your while." I stated, hoping that one of them would let their guard down.

"…I'm listenin'." He replied, lowering his gun slightly, obviously interested.

"We can split the supplies. Spread them around!" I replied, earning a satisfied nod from him.

"Or…" He started, "We could just kill you and take it ALL."

"And what about when they run out? When you don't have us out there collecting them for you?" I asked, stating the truth.

"Well," He said, lowering his gun fully. "I suppose we oughta hash out some terms, then!"

"I don't like no hash!" One of the others intervened.

"SHUT UP OR I'LL-" We never got to hear the end of his sentence. Lilly shot him swiftly in the head. Taking advantage of their defencelessness, Carley grabbed Drew's discarded gun and popped two of them in the head.

"EVERYONE! In the RV! NOW!" I bellowed, herding everyone. I knew that Duck and Katjaa were inside. One down, God knows how many to go.

**Fifteen Minutes Later**

"Well…" Lilly snarled, looking at Carley and I who were hugging on the seat, Clementine in between us.

"What?" I asked, turning my head to look at her.

"What the **fuck** just happened?" She asked, standing and supporting herself on the cupboards.

"I think someone has been slipping meds." I replied, tensing slightly. It can't happen. I can't lose her again. Not now.

"You say that like it doesn't matter." She growled, directing her anger at me.

"There's nothing we can do now. What's the point of "what if's"." I asked, my anger rising.

"Well, we know that we have a traitor in the group." She said, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "Is there anything you want to tell us, Carley?"

"Please." Carley stated, hurt at the accusation.

"We have to get it out of you then?" The taller woman threatened, standing to her full height.

"Back off."

"You're in no position to make demands."

"Woah, woah, woah! You're just pointing fingers!"

"Why her? This seems like a stab in the dark, Lilly." I asked, standing and squaring my shoulders.

"She's always SO eager to see what supplies we found. She never talks about her family. She could be related to those bastards for all we know." She explained.

"Woah, my family's not a bunch of meth-riddled forest people. They're fucking Lutheran!" Carley countered, her anger showing through.

"You're not saying it wasn't you."

"It wasn't ME."

"Like, look, maybe we should, uh, vote or something like that." Ben suggested.

"Vote? What?" Lilly spat, rounding on him.

"Lilly, stop waving the finger at everybody. We know something's going on and we can get to the bottom of it if we keep our heads." I stated, grabbing the kitchen sink for support.

"I know what we found."

"I know, Lilly. I know." I agreed, hopefully soothing her.

"Nobody was stealing ANYTHING!" Ben shouted, dropping himself in it.

"Was it both of you?" Lilly asked, leaning towards him.

"WHAT?!"

"I've seen you two together. Was. It. Both Of You?"

"Look, just let me out. I didn't do it, but I don't like where this is headed." Ben begged, starting to sweat.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't have anything to do with it." Lilly tested, staring him in the eyes.

"Lilly, lay off of him." Carley warned.

"I-" Ben started, only to be cut off by Kenny.

"Shit!" He shouted, pulling the RV into a nearby cut-out.

"What's going on up there?" Lilly asked.

"I hit something!" He replied, walking out of the driver's compartment.

"All right, well, we can deal with this now, then." She suggested, turning as if to walk out.

"Lilly…" I warned, my voice croaking.

"Out." She insisted. We all followed her (except Clem, Duck and Katjaa) and stood on the dirt road. I looked over at Carley, earning a smile and a small thumbs up.

"You know what, we shouldn't just kick you out, we should hear what everybody thinks."

"I think you should chill out." Ben stated, panicking.

"I'm not going to take this! You can push Ben around but you can't push ME around!" Carley shouted, her anger rising.

"I'm really sorry you feel that way." Lilly replied sarcastically.

"I'm not doing this." I said, turning to Lilly.

"Come on, Lee. You're the one who found them! You can't just abstain." She replied, hitting my chest with the back of her hand.

"Fuck all that; this is nuts. We're out here on the side of the road!" I shouted.

"Okay, fine then. Kenny?"

"I don't know! Fuck! Just, stop, would ya?!" Came his answer.

"We don't need all these VOTES! What do I have to do for you to TRUST me? I'll do ANYTHING!" Ben shouted, finally cracking under pressure.

"Stop panicking. Seriously Ben, you need to stop and just take a breath." I advised.

"Do we need any more evidence than this?!"

"Fuck EVIDENCE. Stop treating him like this." Carley snapped, displaying her hormones.

"Shut up, Carley- I've heard enough out of you." Lilly snarled. "Kenny! What's it going to be?"

"Just give me a damn minute!"

"Ben, you have until that walker is dealt with to tell me it was her and not you."

"Stop this! You're torturing him!" Carley interrupted, her maternal side opening.

"Tell her. Just do it, Ben." I asked, looking at him.

"Lee! Jesus, who are you right now?"

"Tell her what?! She'll kick me out of the group!" He answered his voice cracking.

"We won't." I said, shaking my head. "We'll understand."

"Tell me. Now." Lilly growled.

"You think you're some tough bitch, don't you? Like nothing can hurt you, but you're just a scared little girl. Get the fuck over it." Carley raged, crossing her arms. "Take a page from Lee's book and try helping somebody for once."

The sound of squelching hit my ears. I saw Lilly reach for her gun. I saw her raise it to Carley's turning head. I jumped in front of it.

BLAM!

A shooting pain ran through my ribs, indicating that I was successful.

"What the fuck, Lilly?!" I heard Kenny shout, grabbing the gun.

"Lee!" Carley's and Clem's voice combined, making my head snap up. I saw them bending over me, each holding a hand.

"I'll be fine. I just- ow!" I exclaimed, standing hesitantly and putting my full weight on my right side. I felt the bullet lodged in my ribs. I locked eyes with Lilly and glared.

"Lee… I-" She started.

"Save it." I growled, my voice sounding less human and more animal. "I don't want to hear it."

"Lee… I think we need to talk about this…" Kenny muttered, tapping my shoulder.

"There's nothing to talk about." I stated, directing my gaze to ben. "That didn't have to happen. Carley was almost killed. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

"No." He replied, his focus shifting to his feet.

"Well..." I said, limping over to Carley and grabbing her hand in mine. "Everyone get in the RV we'll figure this out later."

"What?! Lee, she almost killed Carley! You can't just let her get back in! She'd be a murderer if you hadn't stopped her!" Kenny shouted, striding over to us.

"I'm a murderer? You've had Lee with you this whole time!" Lilly shouted back, gesturing towards me.

"What are you talking about?" He replied, shock taking over his features. He looked at me, hoping for some trace of lies.

"It's true…" I admitted, feeling Carley swueeze my hand gently. I felt Clem's tiny hand drop.

"Fuck… Were you EVER gonna get 'round to telling me that?!" Kenny bellowed, disbelieving. "Just get in the RV."

Slowly, we all made our way into the vehicle. I cuffed Lilly to the table and sat with my two girls, my ribs still hurting.

**(AU)-Hi guys! I'm Adam and LOVE this game! There's a story called 'Lee's return' by WanderersShadow101 and I believe it deserves a HELL of a lot more recognition! Please check it out and review? Also, tell me what you like/don't like about this. I can't tell you that it will be definitely taken on board but it WILL be taken into consideration. Thanks so much for reading!**


	7. The aftermath

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 7**

"Ah!" I grunted, squeezing my eyes shut in pain.

"I'm sorry, Lee. I'm going as fast as I can…" Katjaa apologised, applying disinfectant to my bleeding gunshot wound.

"It's fine.I just- AH!" I shouted, feeling the bullet being drawn from me.

"Sorry…Sorry…" She repeated. "So, how's things with you and Carley?"

"It's great. It's not the time for romance but it's going pretty well." I replied, wincing as she dabbed the blood away with cotton wool.

"Well… You seem to be really hitting it off." Katjaa smiled, wrapping my side tightly with bandage. "Okay… I think I'm done."

"Thanks Kat. I really appreciate this." I said, sitting up and touching my ribs tenderly. The RV's seats were never the most comfortable place to lay and, to add to my pain, my back was hurting. Katjaa had made the RV into a mobile surgery, using it when we needed it.

"No problem, Lee. Can't have Clementine seeing you in pain now, can we?"

"I guess not…" I replied, I was about to stand when she stopped me.

"Take ten minutes to rest. Give the painkillers some time to work." She said, smiling as she walked outside. We were nowhere near getting that train working. We'd been there a day and had already met Chuck.

"Hey…" I heard. Looking up, I saw Carley in the doorway. It was the first time we'd spoken since we pulled away, taking Lilly with us.

"Hey." I replied, pulling my blue shirt back on.

"How's that feeling?" She asked, sitting beside me softly.

"It could be worse. How's bump?" I asked, wincing as I stretched my side.

"It's fine." She replied, sitting back. She rested her hand gently on her stomach. "I never said thank you…"

"You don't have to. Either I got shot…or you died. No choice really." I shrugged, placing my arm around her shoulders.

"Still, I knew what would happen. I'd have dodged it." She said, raising her eyebrow in a scolding manner.

"Hey! You were all hormonal! You might've forgotten! I couldn't risk losing you or the baby!" I defended. Her eyebrow came down and her expression softened.

"Still, you stupid man, you could've been killed." She sighed, hugging into me.

"You're probably right." I laughed.

"Of course I'm probably right!"

"Wanna go outside?" I asked, standing hesitantly. I winced again as I steadied myself.

"Sure." She replied, taking my hand and walking out of the open door.

**Outside**

"Hey! The wounded soldier returns!" Kenny shouted, seeing me limp over.

"Shut it…" I mumbled, sitting on the log we used as a bench.

"Jesus! We've got a badass over here!" He laughed.

"Har-dee-har." I grumbled, cranky from pain.

"Anyway…" He started once he recovered from his laughter. "I need to talk to everyone about something important."

"What is it, Ken?" Carley asked, plopping down beside me.

"Well… I found this back at the motor-inn." He said, producing a long, white rod from his pocket. I saw Carley's eyes widen in shock and fear. I could hear blood pounding in my ears.

"What?" Katjaa asked, her eyes filling with curiosity.

"It's a pregnancy test. A positive one at that. Now, is there anything that anyone wants to tell the group?" He asked, passing the test to his wife. "I KNOW it's not Kat. So… It's Lilly or Carley."

Everyone's gaze shifted from one woman to the next, eventually, Carley broke the silence.

"It's mine." Carley stated, gritting her teeth and closing her eyes tightly.

"What?!" Everyone gasped, turning to look at her.

"I said it's mine. I'm pregnant." She repeated, her knuckles turning white.

"How the…?" Kenny asked, running his hand through his unruly hair.

"Um… That would be me…" I piped in, my hand finding Carleys.

"You didn't tell us?! Lilly almost shot you!" He exclaimed, taking his cap off and rubbing his knuckles to his eyes.

"That's why I took the shot. I saw her reach for the gun and just jumped. I couldn't risk losing Carley or the baby." I explained, gently squeezing my girlfriends hand.

"I almost shot a pregnant woman…" Lilly muttered, her voice disbelieving.

"Yeah. You did." I agreed, glaring at her. I smiled slightly at the rest of the group. "We're sorry for not telling you but… Clem doesn't know and we aren't out of the woods yet. It didn't seem too important at the time. We'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her."

"Of course, man. We would have helped you. Jesus! Lee! You're gonna be a daddy!" Kenny exclaimed happily, bringing me in for a man hug.

"In a way, we already are parents. We've got Clem to look after." I replied, smiling at Carley who was breathing a sigh of relief.

"So…you're not mad?" She asked, chuckling slightly.

"Why the hell would you think that?! This is what we need! We NEED a new generation. We wouldn't hold it against you." Kenny laughed heartily, sitting with his wife.

"Thanks, man. I owe you." I replied, hugging Carley tightly.

"No problem, Pal. You deserve to be happy. Both of you do."

"Well, do you think we should make a start on that train? All we have to do is take the link off and we're sorted." I asked, standing slowly.

"Sure, bud. I'll go if you're not feeling up to it." He replied, standing.

"Nah, I can manage." I assured, kissing Carley on the lips and limping over to the locomotive.

**An Hour Later**

I sat in the corner of the old boxcar, playing Go fish with Clementine and Carley.

"Hey, Lee?" Clementine asked, attracting my attention.

"Yeah?"

"Got any fours?"

"Well, looks like you're goin' fishing." I laughed, seeing her expression. She had taken her cap off while we were inside and was currently lounging on her side.

"Shit!" She mumbled. Carley and I caught it.

"Hey! What did I say about using swear words?" I scolded, fixing her with a stare.

"Sorry. I won't say it again." She replied, looking down.

"Nice save, Lee." Carley teased, kissing my cheek.

"Thanks." I retorted, squeezing her free hand. Suddenly, a shout came from the front of the train.

"Aw shit! Hold on everybody!"


	8. Old Friends Return

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 8**

"Aw shit! Hold on everybody!"

I grabbed onto Clem, making sure she didn't fall as the train screeched to a stop. Once secure, I stood and made my way to the enterance of the boxcar.

"Careful, Lee." Carley warned, coming to stand beside me.

"I know what it is. It's cool." I assured, smiling down at her.

"Know-it-all bastard." She joked, hitting me gently in the shoulder.

"Hey! I'm injured! I'm an invalid! You can't hit an invalid!" I joked back, smiling fiendishly at her.

"Well, I guess we can't do anything in the bedroom, if that's your logic." She smiled, winking. I rolled my eyes and jumped down onto the soft, grassy ground. My eyes were met with an overhanging PSVF tanker.

"Fuck! Fuck! FUCK! FUUUUUUUCK!" Kenny screamed, tilting his hea in frustration.

"Maybe we could walk?" Ben suggested, following our lead out of the train.

"That's fucking stupid, Ben." The older man replied, hanging his head sadly.

"I'm just sayin…"

"Hmm. I dunno; I ain't got much experience with yall's fortitude but we could probably deal with that. We got a goddamn train." Chuck laughed, obviously pleased with himself.

"That thing's not full of milk, Charles. That's gas or diesel; something that's going to explode." Kenny replied, gathering himself.

"YOU gotta get ahold of yourself. This is a crew here."

"This ain't shit."

"This-" Chuck started, only to be cut off.

"Yo, you keep screaming like that and you're gonna get your face chewed off." I looked up to see Omid leaning over the barrier, staring down at the wreck.

"Are you guys going to be trouble? Because we could've just kept walking." Christa piped in, poking her head over to join him.

"No, we're friendly." I directed my voice to Kenny. "Put your hand down, Ken."

"That's what everybody says." Christa countered, making me smile at how familiar she was.

"We know." I said, chuckling.

"You guys got a problem with your train?" Omid shouted, looking at our transport.

"Yeah, you're standing right in front of it." Kenny replied, shifting his focus to the tanker.

"Dude, it's a wreck. It's not so bad from up here." The smaller man shouted, observing us sceptically. "Send your buddy up to have a look."

I was about to oblige when Kenny held out a hand to stop me.

"Anything goes sideways up there, we won't let them escape. We got more to think about." He assured, winking at me. I strode over to the ladder, my heart pounding. Slowly, I climbed up, happy to finally see my friends again.

"Hey dude, I'm Omid." He greeted, turning to look at me.

"Lee." I introduced myself, mentally laughing at how absurd the whole situation was.

"Christa. What's the deal with the train?"

"We're driving it." I answered, smiling lightly.

"OH, MAN." Omid exclaimed. I'd almost forgotten his obsession with trains.

"Look, you want to help us out? We could use some able bodies and… yeah, we really need some help." I asked, folding my arms over my chest.

"What's in it-" Christa started. At first, I was confused. Thenn I realised thet Clem had followed me up.

"Oh, shit!" He laughed, almost disbelieving. "Goddamn, you guys have a kid!"

"What are you doing up here?" I asked Clementine, not unkindly.

"Do you know how long it's been since I've seen a kid? Shit! What's your name?" He asked, genuinely happy.

"Clementine." She answered, stepping forward.

"Oh, so he gets to swear?" I joked, nodding my head towards the smaller man.

"Well, this is great." He stated. He directed his words towards his Girlfriend. "See, things are looking up."

"You're not her dad. He down there?" She asked. It felt surreal to have her be so suspicious towards me.

"It's that obvious?"

"To me." She answered, resting her hands on her hips.

"And no, he's not down there." I continued, uncrossing my arms.

"Hmm. What's your story?" She pressed, trying to get information out of me.

"I came across Clementine alone the first day all of this happened." I replied calmly. "We've been together ever since."

"And everybody down there, they're cool?"

"Well, Lilly lost her Dad." I replied without hesitation.

"Man. How long ago." Omid asked, sympathy showing.

"Not long." I answered.

"Goddamn."

"We're sorry for anything that's happened to you guys." He stated, genuinely upset. "That train is awesome though."

"That tank is your real problem. We'll help you with it, but if we see anything we don't like, we're moving on down the road. Alone." Christa threatened, laying down her rules.

"We'd appreciate the help." I thanked.

"You can't just blast through it, I guess." Omid asked, inspecting the tank.

"If you could get it down, the rest would be pretty easy." The woman said, stating the obvious.

"We'll start there." I assured.

"We'll come down and settle in, and see if we can help."

I made my way back down to our group. Ben Chuck and Kenny were gathered by the train. Carley, Duck and Katjaa sat on the ground to our left. Lilly sat in the boxcar.

"Guys, this is Omid and Christa." I introduced, lifting Clem down the last couple of rungs. They were met with blank stares.

"Not big on welcomes…" Omid muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. I chuckled lightly.

"Like I said, we could use some good people." I addressed the group. "The plan is to cut that tanker down and be on our way."

"Seems like plan enough for me." Kenny muttered, nodding.

"You wanna start on that tanker?" Omid asked, turning to me.

"I'll get to know the girl for a minute, if you don't mind." Christa interrupted.

"And why don't I show you how this thing works, in case something happens." Kenny said cheerily.

"Really, Ken?" I asked, disbelieving.

"It's probably for the best." He assured, patting my side as he walked past. I winced softly, unknown to the group. I felt blood seep through the bandage.

"Someone might want to have a look inside of that station wagon back there, too." Carley suggested, walking up to me.

"Sounds great. Let's do this thing." Omid agreed, following Kenny. I felt my world spin. Blood began seeping through my shirt. I heard Carley gasp. All went black.


	9. Decision Time

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 9**

**Carley's POV **

"Lee!" I screeched, falling to the ground beside him.

"What the fuck?! Was he bitten?!" Omid yelled, running over to us. I saw everyone gather around us, worried looks on their faces.

"No! Get the kids away! I don't want them to see this." I responded. I saw Katjaa taking Duck and Clem back to the boxcar. Clementine had tears streaming down her face.

"What do we do?" Kenny asked, his voice cracking.

"We gotta do something! I can't lose him! Not now!" I cried, covering him with my fluffy, purple, quilted coat.

"Carley, let Katjaa take a look. She'll help him." Lilly said. I turned to glare at her.

"If anything happens to him. Anything. It's on your head." I growled. "You shot him. You pulled the trigger. If my baby never gets to meet its father… God help you."

"I know! I don't know what possessed me!" Lilly defended. I attempted to stem the bleeding.

"Come on, sweetie, let Katjaa look." Kenny muttered, pulling me away by the shoulders.

"Carley." I heard Katjaa mutter. I turned to look at her, tears streaming from my eyes. "I'll do my best. I promise."

"Thank you." I said, turning and heading towards the boxcar.

**Lee's POV**

"Car…Clem…?" I muttered, my head shooting from its position on the ground.

"Well, Lee. You did it." The deep voice called, terrifying me.

"Oh, not you again…" I grumbled, sitting up. I felt no pain in my side and my eyes widened in realization. "Am I dead again?!"

"No, son. You are not. I wanted to talk. Someone else did, too." It replied. I stood shakily and saw the same door appear. "You know the drill."

"Alright, calm down." I muttered, walking towards it. I closed my hand around the doorknob and felt sudden warmth. "What the hell was that?!"

"It's okay, your girlfriend put her coat over you. Trying to stop the bleeding." He explained. Reassured, I gently pushed the bright white door.

"Lee!" A woman cried, running to me.

"Mom!" I shouted, enveloping her in my arms. It felt so good.

"Oh, I've missed you!" She whimpered, kissing my cheek.

"Hey, I'm okay. I promise." I assured, feeling a tear run down my cheek.

"How's it going, son?" I heard. I looked up and saw my Dad. He was there; Cane included.

"I'm great, dad." I stated, walking over to him. I clapped him on the shoulder and beamed at him.

"So… I hear congratulations are in order." He laughed, ruffling my hair.

"Yeah. Carley's amazing. You guys would love her." I confirmed, smiling at my Mom's reaction.

"I'm gonna be a granny!"

"Lee. Time's almost up. Katjaa's almost done." The voice called, pulling me from my happiness.

"I love you guys. Tell Ben that I miss him?" I asked, untangling myself from them.

"Of course, son. Look after that little girl!" Mom called, watching me close the door.

"I will."

**Clementine's POV**

"Come on, Lee!" I muttered, looking over to his lifeless body.

"It's okay, sweetie." Carley muttered, bringing me into her side. "He'll be fine."

"Yeah." I agreed. Cuddling into her, I thought about everything she's been through. She was like my Mom. The way her and Lee acted was like watching my Mom and Dad again.

"Carley!" Katjaa called. I felt her tense next to me. Looking up, I saw her shift slightly.

"I'll be back in a minute, Clem." She assured, standing. I made to follow her. "Stay there."

"Okay…" I sat back down, encircling my knees with my arms. "Please be okay, Lee…"

**Lee's POV**

"Ah, fuck!" I muttered, opening my eyes slightly.

"What do we do?" Kenny mumbled, talking to Carley and Katjaa.

"He's lost a lot of blood. I don't think we can move him." Katjaa commented, her hand resting on Carley's shoulder.

"You can't be saying… No. We're not doing that!" She said, backing away from them.

"Carley, I know you're upset but… Goddamn, what if he comes back?" Kenny soothed, running his hands through his hair.

"He's not dead!" Carley growled, raising a hand to her eyes.

"Car…" I croaked, turning my head slightly.

"Lee?" She asked, running to me.

"Hey…" I muttered, raising my hand to touch her cheek.

"You're not dead?" Kenny exclaimed happily.

"No shit." I chuckled, sitting up properly and taking Carley into my arms.

"We almost had a Larry situation." Kenny admitted, looking down.

"Hey!" Lilly shouted, bounding over to us.

"Woah, back down, Ken." I calmed, standing and throwing my arm out to stop her from advancing on him.

"Don't ever mention his name… EVER… Do you understand me?!" She screeched, attempting to get past the human barricade I had set up. Kenny stayed quiet. "I said, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"Okay! I'm sorry! Let's just… Get this train moving." He spat, kicking some random stones up.

"Come on, Lee. Let's get you rested." Carley insisted, grabbing my hand.

"Yeah." I agreed, allowing myself to be dragged over. I saw Clementine hanging out of the boxcar and immediately, my life got better.

**Two Hours Later**

"Come on, Ken. We can't stay here." I repeated for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Why not? We got food, water, supplies. Lots of shelter…" He trailed off, pacing in front of me.

"Look at the fucking place! It's crawling with walkers!" I insisted, becoming aggravated.

"I am! It's great! This place still has supplies, though! It hasn't been looted! We can get medicine for you, Omid and for Carley when she needs it!" He explained, stopping his pacing.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it! For now, though, we've got everything we need!" I hissed, running my hand over my face.

"Look, maybe we can find an abandoned house and set up there." Kenny suggested, taking his cap off.

"Yeah… If that doesn't work out though, we're moving on. I'm putting my foot down." I stated, lowering my voice.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, buddy." Kenny laughed as I limped back to the train.

"Alright guys," I started, approaching them slowly. "Kenny and I have decided that we're going to find an abandoned house and set up there. Just for a few months."

"Um… Omids leg is infected. We need to get supplies." Christa piped in, helping the smaller man stand.

"I know… We, me and Kenny, will go and find some once we're settled in." I told her, nodding my head slightly.

"Great." Omid said happily, leaning on his girlfriend for support.

"Lets go…" I muttered, taking Clementine's hand in mine and making my way to the city.


	10. Nothing Can Last

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 10**

"Come on, guys! You can do this!" I encouraged, pacing behind the two young children. It had been three months since we arrived in Savannah. Not much had changed. Lilly was being…well… Lilly. Kenny was still trying to find a boat, even though we had searched the city with no results. Carley, however was getting bigger by the day; so was Christa, meaning they could no longer go on supply runs. Omid and I had turned into over-protective fathers to be, not allowing either of them to leave further than the garden. Duck and Clementine were starting to realize and understand the danger of our situation and insisted on learning to shoot.

The warehouse we found was spacious, giving us plenty of space to practice. One person (usually Ben) was on watch at all times when we were using it, allowing us plenty of notice if a threat rose. Kenny and I stayed with our own kid, giving them tips and pointers when they were needed.

"Lee, my hands hurt. Can't we stop?" Clementine moped, turning to stare at me.

"No. You need to learn how to defend yourself, sweet-pea. Don't worry about your hands, you'll get stronger. I promise." I assured, putting my hands on her shoulders and loosening her elbows. "Okay, try now."

"Okay…" She replied hesitantly. She held her breath and pulled the trigger:

Direct hit.

"Great shot, Clem!" I praised, ruffling her hair. Truthfully, Clementine had took to shooting better than Duck; taking only two shots before hitting the target in her first lesson. Kenny even went as far as asking Carley if she was sure that she didn't have a daughter.

"No. I can assure you, she doesn't." I hastily replied, making the woman blush.

"How're we doin' for time, pal?" Kenny shouted, looking up from his sons practice. I looked down to my slightly battered watch, squinting in the dark. It was quarter past three.

"Shit. We're fifteen minutes late!" I responded, grabbing Clementines gun and putting it into the back of my pants. We ran to the entrance, making sure Ben was with us. I stuffed the heavy padlock into the bars and sprinted after the group. I grabbed Clem's little, warm hand in mine and continued running.

Ten minutes of running later, we hurled through the rusty gates that led to the garden.

"Phew…" Kenny panted, taking his cap off and wiping his forehead of sweat. "Close call."

"Yeah." I agreed, leaning against the moss-covered wall. All we could hear was the sound of our own breathing. Man, I was getting unfit. "I'm not as young as I used to be, Ken." I added, hearing the other man chuckle.

"Welcome to my world, buddy. You get used to it." He assured, straightening up and putting his cap back onto his head.

"Not likely…" I muttered, throwing a random twig at him.

"All right. We'd better head in or we'll be sleeping in _there_ tonight." He said, inclining his head towards the dog house in the corner of the garden.

"You're right. Let's face the fire, man." I laughed, opening the door to the kitchen, hearing laughter and talking from the front room.

"Hey! We're home!" I called, putting my duffel bag on the table.

"Hey, honey." Carley greeted, walking into the kitchen carrying wet clothing. She leaned up and kissed my cheek.

"How's the bump?" I asked gently, taking the tin cans out and laying them down. I looked over to her and a smile graced my face.

"It's great. Actually, I have news." She replied, humming to herself as she hung the garments on the clothes horse.

"What's up?" I asked, worry consuming me. What had happened? Was she okay? Did someone get in?

"Come here." She said, gesturing for me to walk over. I did just that. She took my large hand and laid it on her slight bulge.

"What are you-" I asked, confused.

"Come on, baby. Do it for Daddy." She cooed. I was about to ask what was happening when I felt it. A faint flutter beneath my fingertips.

"Holy fuck!" I exclaimed excitedly, keeping my hand stationary. I turned my head, looking her in the eyes. "What's happening?"

"That, Lee, is your son or daughter kicking." She informed, a grin forming on her face. My entire world turned. My child was alive and well, just beneath my fingers.

"Wow…" I breathed, laughing in awe. "It's… It's growing inside you!"

"No shit." She chuckled, rolling her eyes. I loved the way she did that. Taking the initiative, I brought her in for a kiss. I felt her tense in surprise and worried for a moment. Then, she relaxed into it, allowing me to glide my hands to her waist. I eventually pulled away, taking a calming breath.

"Wh-what was that for?" She breathed, her eyes still closed.

"No reason. I just wanted to kiss you." I answered, smiling down at her. I heard footsteps behind me but I didn't care. I was lost in my girlfriend.

"Well… we'd better get back to it, or people would think we're up to something else." She laughed, disappointment evident in her eyes. She turned back to the washing, smiling faintly. I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind, kissing her neck softly.

"I love you." I muttered, resting my chin on top of her head.

"I love you too." She replied, brushing me away. "Now, away with you. You tall git."

"Git? Are you suddenly British?" I teased, laughing at her mock anger.

"I said get out of my kitchen." She teased back, swatting me with a towel.

"Okay. I'm going!" I said, holding my hands up in a mock surrender. I strode from the room, whistling as I did so.

"Hey Lee!" Clementine greeted, looking up from her game of go fish with Duck.

"Hey sweet-pea." I acknowledged, plopping down into the large, grey armchair.

"How's the missus?" Kenny asked, advising his son in the game.

"Fine. The baby started kicking today." I announced, smiling broadly. Clementine gasped, my smile mirrored back to me.

"Woah! Congratulations,dude!" Omid exclaimed, shaking my hand happily. Christa nodded too, smiling widely.

"Yeah, congratulations Lee." She agreed, cuddling into her boyfriend.

Suddenly, static came through Clementine's radio.

"_I'm still waiting for you, Clementine. Your parents are looking forward to seeing you. Make sure to find me, whether Lee wants you to or not." _A voice suggested, making my eyes widen with fear. I looked at Clementine who had started to blush. I snatched the radio up off of the floor, and raised it to my mouth.

"You listen to me, motherfucker. Stay away from her. Do you understand?" I growled, clicking off. Earning no reply, I tried again. "I said, do you hear me?!"

"Lee, no!" Clementine intervened, trying to grab it off me.

"Shush, Clementine." I whispered, walking to the window. Looking out, I saw nothing but street. I turned back. "Clementine… Who was that?"


	11. Clementine!

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 11**

"Clementine… Who was that?" I asked, turning to her.

"He's a friend. He's nice." Clementine stammered, guilt flooding her features.

"I said _who _is he god dammit!" I shouted, losing my temper. I grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at me. I calmed my tone, not wanting to scare her even more. "I need to know, Clementine. He could be anyone."

"He's got my parents. He wants to help us." She answered, still looking slightly scared of me. My heart pounded against my ribs.

"Trust me, honey. That's not what he wants. He-" Christa started, only to be cut off by Carley who returned from the kitchen. Looking at our faces, her own became more serious.

"What's wrong?" She asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame. I knew I shouldn't tell her. What if she went into shock? What if she lost the baby? I had to though. She deserved the truth.

"Clementine's made a friend, apparently." I muttered, standing and turning towards her. Her face contorted with shock and rage.

"What? How did sh-" I cut her off, walking over to her.

"Walkie-talkie. Someone must have given her batteries." I explained, looking at the group.

"Um… I gave her some months ago." Lilly piped in, standing and walking over to us. I glared at her and let out a growl of rage.

"You?! Why the fucking hell would you give her batteries?!" I shouted, my voice disbelieving. I saw her flinch at the harsh sound of my voice.

"How the fuck was I supposed to know this would happen? After all, It was only a few batteries. What harm could it do?" She tried to defend, fire erupting in her eyes.

"You have no idea!" I bellowed, shocking everyone in the room. I was the calm one… The sensible one; the one who always thought of a sensible solution. I calmed down once again, regaining my composure. I looked at the small girl, bending down to her height. "Clem… I-"

"Why, Lee? What's wrong with him? He has my parents!" She cried, backing away from me.

"No… he doesn't." I said, hanging my head down and internally hating myself.

"That's not true, Lee! He has them! They're here!" She shouted, running from the room. I made to follow her when my arm was caught by Ben.

"Let her. She needs time." He murmured, his eyes boring into mine. "She'll come around."

"I hope so…" I said, shrugging his grip off and rubbing my face with my rough hands.

"Lee…" Carley tested, reaching out to me. I walked away, going into the garden to be with my thoughts. Alone.

**Six Hours Later**

I awoke with my head resting against the moss covered wall. I must have fallen asleep while I was out there.

"Damn…" I muttered, stretching my aching back and standing shakily. I noticed the lack of weight on my belt loop, meaning the walkie-talkie was gone. I hobbled my way over to the door, opening it quietly. Darkness met me. Silence overtook me. I tiptoed my way up the rickety stairs, excited to sleep in our comfortable bed again. I walked in and saw Carley asleep with her hand resting protectively on her stomach. I smiled proudly, shuffling in behind her.

"Who the…" She muttered thickly, her voice quiet. I kissed her forehead, feeling her relax. "Hey, honey. How did it go with Clementine?"

"Um… I haven't seen her." I replied, confused. Her eyes opened fully, confusion mirrored back at me.

"She fell asleep here. With me." She explained, looking at me, her brow furrowed.

"What?" I asked, sitting up and outwardly panicking.

"Yeah, I laid with her until she drifted off and then I went to sleep, too." She said, mirroring my actions.

"You didn't feel her move?" I asked, seeing her shake her head in response. I bolted from the bed, throwing myself down the stairs. I ran through the kitchen and into the back garden. I looked towards the shed and my heart dropped. There, in the shadow of the shed was Clementine's hat.

"No…" I whispered, collapsing to my knees next to it. A few tears streamed down my face. "Oh Clem…"

"Lee! What the fuck are you playing at?! She's probably in the house!" Carley shouted behind me, pulling her purple, quilted coat over herself. I turned to look at her, the hat clutched in my hand, my thumb rubbing it gently. Her eyes widened with shock and she kneeled down beside me, holding the discarded hat with me.

"She's gone…" I mumbled, my voice disbelieving. I ran a hand through my short hair, making it stick up more than usual.

"Oh, Lee… What do we do?" Carley asked, taking my hand and intertwining our fingers. I could tell that she was as shocked as me.

"I'm getting her back. I have to. I'm all she has left…" I muttered, making my mind up on spot. I stood and made to climb over the gate.

"Woah! Where are you going, Rambo?" Carley asked, stopping me by putting her hand on my shoulder. I turned to glare at her.

"I'm going to get… I'm going to get my daughter. She's out there, alone and scared. I'm not letting that happen again." I stated, checking the back of my pants.

"You're not going alone. I'm coming with you." She insisted, producing my gun from her pocket. I looked at her in disbelief.

"Oh no. You're not going anywhere." I laughed, making a grab for the gun. She whipped it out of my way. "You are pregnant, Carley. You're not going to go out there with all those fuckers."

"Lee. I'm not an invalid. I'm only five months gone. I'm still a good shot." She argued, handing me the weapon and taking the safety off her own. "I think you should wake everyone up. They might be able to help."

I sighed loudly.

"Fine. Will you go wake them?" I asked, making my way over to the fence.

"Sure. Don't do anything stupid, Lee." She called, going back inside. I hopped over the gate and looked at the wooden board.

"So… we meet again." I muttered, approaching it. I felt anger take me over. This bastard had made Clem cry. He caused my death. I hated him. Static from Clem's walkie-talkie didn't deter me. I yanked the board up and backed away. He was curled up, eating what used to be a rat. "Come at me, you bastard!"

It jumped at me, knocking me backwards. I reached for my gun and aimed right between its eyes. I pulled the trigger.

Direct hit.

Smiling, I stood and kicked the dead body for good measure. I strode over to the fallen board and picked up the flowery walkie-talkie, attaching it to my belt loop.

"Lee! What the hell?! Carley screamed, running to the fence. I turned and smiled at her, pointing at the dead walker. Her knuckles were white from gripping the metal fence. "Get your ass back over here!"

"I got him. He didn't get me." I grinned, hopping back into the garden. "I'm not bitten."

"No, but you'll wish you were!" She shouted, swatting me on the arm angrily. I grabbed her hands and pulled her round to face me.

"I'm here! I didn't get bitten!" I shouted, making her look at me.

"Lee! What the fuck's goin' on?" Kenny shouted, running to us and stuffing his cap on his head.

"Clementine's gone. I was gonna go for her when Carley woke you guys up." I explained, holding up the cap for him to see. His eyes widened with shock and grief.

"Oh… shit… "He mumbled, his voice cracking. I felt truly sorry for him at that moment. "What are we gonna do?"

"What else is there? We go out there and get my daughter." I said, stuffing the cap back in my pocket.

"Look, man. We need to know who took her first before we get carried away. So…" He said, looking at Omid, who had just appeared behind him. "We need to think of someone who would want to do this. Who'd wanna hurt us like this?"

"I know who's got her: The guy on the radio." I explained, becoming frustrated. Didn't they get it? Clementine was the most important thing in my life, besides Carley. "I won't be long! I can go in, get Clem and get out!"

"No way!" Carley intervened, anger showing through her usually calm features.

"Yes way. No arguments." I said, my tone showing that the argument was over.. I turned to everyone else. "Make sure no-one follows me."

"Yes boss!" Omid said, mock-saluting me.

"Good." I said, climbing over the fence and heading towards the Marsh House.


	12. Rescue mission

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 12**

I could still hear Carley shouting for me to come back. I could have danced when I took down that walker. He was the reason I died…the reason I left Clementine alone. No longer able to see the mansion, I pulled my gun out and crept through the streets. Keeping low and barely breathing, I turned a right around a corner.

"_Shit!" _I thought, seeing the horde of walkers congregating in the street. The marsh house was clearly visible from there. I ducked behind the wall, obscuring myself from their view. How the hell did I get past these fukers?!

I saw shards of broken glass in the road. My memory fired to life.

"_Just push through them! You can do this, man! You did it once, you can do it again!"_ I encouraged, feeling fire spark in the pit of my stomach. _"Fuck it; let's do this!"_

I shuffled into the road, holding my head high. I bent down to grab a piece of glass and gripped it tightly. Pain flooded my hand, making blood trickle down the sharp object. One goal was on my mind: get my little girl.

I walked to the first corpse, digging the glass into its thick skull. It felt good.

"Come at me, you fuckers…" I muttered, slashing my way through the herd. As I neared the hotel, my shirt became more and more covered in blood and guts. That didn't bother me, though. I sliced the final walker in my way and saw the station wagon.

"Here I am, motherfucker." I mumbled, creeping inside. Closing the door behind me, I walked along the long, narrow hallway. I thought of Carley, Clementine, the baby… Oh god I wish things could be normal. I wanted my son or daughter to have a happy childhood, not having to be scared of these things.

Approaching the door to the bedroom, I threw my body weight against the door. I kept my gun safely in the back of my pants, planning on keeping it with me. A rope ran from another door to the closet. _"Obviously that's where she is."_

A door clicked behind me. I turned around. There he was, his hair slicked to the side and a gun held at my chest.

"I got us adjoining rooms." He said softly, his eyes unblinking.

"Hello." I responded, staring back at him. I felt calm, knowing what was going to happen.

"Okay, th-this is civil." He stammered, his mouth curling into a smile. His eyes travelled over me. "You look horrible."

I squared my shoulders, almost daring him to try anything.

"Go over there." He ordered, flicking the gun slightly to his left. I sidestepped to where he indicated, never turning. "Put your things down."

"Let me out! Who's out there?" A scared voice called from the next room, taking my full attention. I wanted to beat this motherfucker. He hurt my little girl. I was about to answer when…

"Shh." The man said, putting a finger to his lips and raising the gun to my head. "Quiet please, sweetie!" He turned back to me. "Your things. There."

"This is all I've got, okay?" I said, putting the flowery radio on the rickety table.

"You travel light. I don't believe you." He muttered, keeping his gun fixated on me. I sighed lightly.

"Okay, fine." I breathed, putting my gun and the glass shard alongside it.

"That's what I thought." He smiled, once again raising the gun to my head. "You shouldn't lie. Sit down."

I followed his order, sitting in one of the pink, fluffy chairs that were set out. I looked directly in his eyes.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked, lowering the gun to his lap and outwardly relaxing.

"No. I don't know anything about you." I lied, wanting to hear his side of the story again.

"You wouldn't. People like you don't." He growled, sneering at me. Rage filled me.

"_No, Lee. Don't rise to it."_

"Now you're thinking, 'who would have it out for me,' huh?" He continued, obvioulsly having not noticed my inward battle. He leaned forward, almost taunting me. "A few weeks back, there might have been a station wagon in the forest? Full of all sorts of food, water, things you need to survive."

I widened my eyes in shock, knowing that Kenny would have to start talking when I got back.

"Yeah. I'm not some cannibal, Lee. Some killer out in the woods. Some v…villan. I'm just a… dad." He paused, allowing me time to take all the information in. "I coach little league."

"I didn't take from you." I stated, defending myself and my group. He just smiled in response, making me feel uneasy.

"Your people didn't?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't agree with it." I defended once again, trying to calm his nerves.

"That's what little Clementine said. Why didn't you?"

"She didn't want me to." I answered quickly, thinking of the little girl in the next room.

"She didn't want you to do a lot of things." He countered, glaring at me.

"What do you want me to say?" I asked, allowing my voice to rise for a moment. I calmed myself, waiting for the right moment.

"I don't want you to say anything. I want you to know what happened." He said. I stayed quiet, allowing him a chance to speak. "Have you ever hurt somebody you care about?"

"Yes. Of course." I admitted, gritting my teeth.

"Who?" He asked, determined to make me talk.

"My wife." I spat, looking down into my lap.

"Clementine said she wasn't with you."

"I hurt her a long time ago." I said. Looking up, I saw his pace light up with a twisted smile.

"How?"

"In a lot of ways." I said, looking down once again. "She travelled for work. I didn't like that. I wanted a family."

"A reasonable thing to want." He agreed.

"So we faught. And it made my biggest fear come true." I said. "I got sick on day on my way to class. Cancelled it and went home. Found her there with someone else. Killed him." I paused, thinking about her and him. "I was mad at her for so long and I can't imagine how much pain she felt." I looked up. "How about you?"

"I hurt her so bad." He said, looking downcast. "My son, Adam, went missing. I took him out hunting even though my wife said he was too young. I figured he had to learn. I came back without him and the look on her face said 'You are a MONSTER.'"

I my eyebrows creased with sympathy. We had ruined this mans life.

"We all went out looking for him. We never found him. I hurt her so bad." He broke down before me. "And then we came back and all our stuff was gone. Your people, Lee. That asshole in the ball cap. His stupid fucking wife. I could have earned her trust back if they hadn't made our situation so desperate."

"I'm sorry." I said, expressing true sympathy for him.

"The hungrier we got the more she blamed me. Until she finally took our daughter, Elizabeth and left. They didn't get far… I… found them a day later. In the road." He stopped to look at me. "Do I look like a monster to you?"

"We all do." I replied slowly, anger once again bubbling inside me.

"Some more than others." He hissed. "I'm not like you. You walked a little girl into a dairy full of sick people and let them get their hands on her."

"I was trying to find some place safe for her." I said, stopping myself from doing something I would regret.

"You brought her to the most dangerous place in this city where she would have died." He continued, getting louder as he went.

"I couldn't leave her at the house, alone." I defended.

"SHE WOULD'VE BEEN BETTER OFF!" He shouted, making something snap inside me. I pounced on him, holding his throat as tightly as I could.

"YOU DON'T TAKE ANYONE FROM ANYWHERE! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" I bellowed, words spewing from my mouth. I knew everything this guy went through, yet, I still wanted him dead. I may have killed before, but this guy killed more than a person. He had killed a little girls chance in life.

"Hah. I bet you don't even know how old she is…" He gasped, scratching at my bleeding hand.

"She's nine!" I shouted, shaking his flailing hand off. I brought it down harder, eventually feeling him relax. Shock filled my ever fibre. I was a murderer again.

"Help! Please! Someone! Whoever it is out there!" Clementine's voice rang, pulling me from my thoughts. I put my gun against his head and pulled the trigger, ensuring our safety. I ran to the rope, untying the knot and yanking the door open. I saw Clementine sat with her head in her hands.

"Hey, sweet-pea." I greeted, walking over to her and kneeling in front of her.

"Lee!" She shrieked, wrapping her arms around my neck and hugging into me.

"Shh. It's okay. I'm here." I soothed, feeling her shake with sobs.

"He didn't have them… You were right." She sobbed, hugging into me tighter.

"Hey… I'm sorry, Clem. You didn't need me shouting at you." I said, pulling away from her. "Listen. I'm gonna get you back to the house. You just have to trust me."

"Okay. Whatever you say." She agreed, nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Wear this over you and stay by me." I said, pulling my blue shirt off and wiping myself over with it, leaving blood stains on my skin. I put the garment over the little girls head, making her squeal in disgust.

"Eww!" She said, obviously uncomfortable.

"Hey! Stop wiggling about and follow me." I said, picking her up and leaving through the door I came in from.

**Twenty Minutes Later**

"Guys! I'm home!" I called, striding through the doorway to the mansion. I walked into the living room, receiving shocked stares in return.

"What the fuck happened to you?!" Kenny asked, looking scared.

"Walkers. A shit ton of them at that." I replied, taking my shirt back from Clementine. Seeing the little girl relax was the best feeling I could imagine. Seeing her almost walk away, I added to her. "Stay where I can see you."

"Okay…" She said, looking downcast as she sat on the sofa.

"So… what's new?" I asked, walking over to him and taking my tank top off.

"New girl. She seems cool. Apparently her husband used to beat her and she just took off." Kenny replied, taking the clothes from my arms and dumping them on the floor. "Come and meet her."

"Okay, man." I agreed, following the older man.

"Irene. This is Lee." Kenny introduced, leading me through. I stopped short, coming face to face with my worst fear:

My ex wife.


	13. Unhappy Reunions

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 13**

"Get out." I growled, my eyes narrowing dangerously. This woman ruined my life…betrayed me. Her eyes widened in shock when I came through the door.

"Lee! You can't just say that to people! Get some manners!" Lilly shouted from the corner of the room.

"Yes I can. Especially to her. Now, you heard me. Get out!" I shouted, probably scaring the living daylights out of everyone. I didn't care.

"What's wrong, Lee? Do you know this woman?" Katjaa asked, concern showing on her gentle face.

"Oh, glad to see someone's finally noticed." I said sarcastically, letting out a growl of frustration.

"He's my husband." Irene piped in, making me tense my muscles in anger.

"Ex-husband." I corrected, sitting down on the large couch beside Clementine.

"You're a wife-beater?" Kenny asked his voice disbelieving. My eyebrows retreated into my hairline, shocked at the assumption.

"What?" I heard from the doorway. I looked up to see Carley stood in the doorway, her eyes wide.

"No! For fucks sake!" I shouted, standing quickly. A gasp came from Clementine and I backtracked on myself. I walked over to the shocked woman in the doorway. "Please, Car… you have to believe me." I went to touch her arm but she pulled away quickly.

"Why does he have to answer to her?" Irene asked with venom, standing with us.

"Because Carley is my girlfriend." I replied, practically begging for Carley to believe me through my eyes.

"Oh, it took you a long time to get over our divorce, didn't it?!" Irene sarcastically said, making me snap.

"It would have taken longer but I found you shagging another man!" I shouted, turning to face her, the veins in my neck becoming more prominent. "Also, being handcuffed in a cop car the day after your divorce doesn't help the process!"

"I didn't ask you to kill him!" She shouted back, glaring at me. I felt anger bubbling once again.

"Look, everyone, I want to clear things up. I would never _ever_ lay my hands on a woman. Never. Truthfully, Car… have I ever laid my hands on you without your consent?" I asked, practically begging her. Her eyes shifted over me, taking in the desperation in my features. She let out a loud sigh.

"No…" She admitted, looking at me sceptically. "Lee, you have to tell me if you did, though. Not for my sake… for the baby's."

"Car… I didn't and wouldn't. As you know, I don't condone violence of any sort." I joked, trying to shed some light on the subject.

"Wait… _Baby_?!" Irene asked, her eyebrows imitating mine. I laughed at how insane the situation was.

"Yeah. I'm pregnant." Carley explained, grabbing my hand. I smiled at her and kissed her forehead. She looked up at me, giving me a look that clearly said _'this is not over, Everett. You have explaining to do'_

"Look, I think we should all turn in. It's been a long day and I bet you wanna get out of those pants, Lee." Kenny interrupted standing and gesturing for Katjaa and Duck to do the same.

"Yeah. We'll be able to think better in the morning." I agreed, taking Clementines hand in mine and leading her from the room, Carley following behind us. Holding her little, warm fingers in mine felt too good to be true. I thought I'd lost her. As we approached the girls room, I looked down to her. She had tears flowing down her cheeks. I gestured for her to go in the room. She shuffled in, coming to rest on her bed.

"Talk to her." Carley mouthed, shooing me inside. I did as I was told, scampering in behind the tiny girl.

"Hey, look at me." I said, bending down to her height and tapping her chin gently. She did as I asked, looking in my eyes. Hazel eyes looked at me, red rimmed from crying. "What's up sweet-pea?"

"Nothing…" She replied, hastily wiping her eyes. I took her hands in mine and tilted her cap up.

"I know that's not true. Now, tell me what's wrong." I cooed, making her smile slightly. I ducked slightly so she could see my face.

"I… that man lied. He didn't have my parents." She sobbed, tilting her head down again. My heart broke for her.

"Look, Clem. People… some people are gonna lie to you… try to get you to do things that you don't want to do. You have to know when people are lying. And more importantly, when they're not." I sighed, squeezing her hands gently.

"Okay…" She said, taking her cap off and rolling over. I tucked her in softly and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight sweetheart…" I muttered, walking from the room and turning the gas lamp off. I closed the door quietly and turned. Carley had walked away since I started talking to Clem, leaving me to my thoughts.

I tiptoed past every ones rooms, careful not to wake everyone. Stopping suddenly, I opened the linen closet and grabbed a pillow and sleeping bag. Holding them steadily, I made my way back downstairs. Turning right into the living room, I saw Irene slumped on the couch, staring into space.

"Here's some…um… well, the couch isn't that comfy without these." I said, sitting the material beside her, making her jump.

"Thanks." She said. Smiling, she glanced at my hands. She gesture to my wedding ring. "I see you still wear _that_ old thing."

"Yeah. Carley and I wear them." I answered, smiling at it lightly, shifting it on my finger.

"She seems… nice." She said uncertainly. Anger flared inside me once again.

"Irene…" I warned, tapping the sheets lightly. "It's none of your business who I choose to date. I love Carley… I hope she loves me."

"Whatever you say, Lee." She said. I grunted and turned, walking towards the stairs. I was about to walk up them when I heard her speak again. "It's good to see you again, Lee."

"You too…" I replied, closing my eyes and striding upstairs. I walked for a while, taking my time, before reaching mine and Carleys room. I knocked lightly, not daring to walk inside.

"Come in." A gentle voice called. I did as it asked, closing the door behind me.

"Hey." I said walking up behind her and putting my arms around her, coming to rest on her stomach.

"Hey." She replied, putting her hands over mine. She tilted her head to the side, looking at me softly. Her eyes narrowed as if she was trying to figure something out. Eventually, she grabbed my left hand and laid it palm-up, looking at it in shock. "You're bleeding!"

"Shit." I spat, mentally slapping myself.

"How the fucking hell did you do this? Did a walker get you?" She asked, spinning around and looking at me worriedly.

"No! I had to get through them somehow and there was a horde. I couldn't just walk. I grabbed a piece of glass and sliced my way through." I calmed, putting my uninjured hand on her shoulder and kissing her forehead. "Calm down. Don't get yourself worked up."

"Come on, you're bandaging that thing up." Carley said, going to drag me from our room.

"And if I don't?" I tested, seeing if now was the time for joking. She turned to me, her face serious.

"Then, your hand will turn septic and we'll have to give you back your stump." She replied, grabbing my arm and ragging me from the room.


	14. My Worst Fear, Car

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 14**

"Lee, for god's sake! Just knock!" Carley fumed, dragging me to the bedroom door. I shook my head slightly, rolling my eyes. I hesitantly knocked on the heavy, oak door.

"Come in!" Kenny called from inside. I opened it slightly and looked in slowly. He was sat on the end of the bed with his cap beside him. He looked up and saw me standing there. "Hey pal! Katjaa's just bathing Duck. What's up?"

"Um…" I replied, rubbing the back of my neck nervously.

"He was wondering if Katjaa could bandage his hand for him. He cut it today." Carley answered for me, gently squeezing my right hand. Kennys face scrunched up in concern.

"You okay, buddy?" He asked, standing to look at my cut. I held it out to him and saw him pale. "I'll get her."

I watched him walk into the en-suite and disappear. Faint mumbles could be heard from the other side of the door. I stood awkwardly, leaning against the doorway and smiling at Carley. Finally, Katjaa come out of the bathroom, grinning at us sweetly.

"Hey, Lee. Come over here and I'll get that hand sorted out." She said, gesturing to the chair by the side of the bed. I sat slowly, slightly nervously.

"Sorry about this, Kat. Carley just wouldn't let it go." I apologised, stretching out my hand and wincing slightly.

"No need to worry. Mother knows best, right Carley?" She assured, winking at Carley.

"Hear hear!" She joked from the doorway, laughing. I mock-glared at her and winced as the needle and thread ran through my skin.

"Sorry." Katjaa apologised, repeatedly running the needle through my skin. After about five minutes, she looked up and smiled. "All done. I just need to bandage it up, then you're good to go."

"Thanks again." I said, relaxing as she tied the thread off in a knot. She stood and approached the dresser, picking up the clean bandage that was there.

"No problem. So, how's baby Palmer?" She asked, wrapping the fabric around my throbbing hand. I smiled at Carley as she ran a hand over her bump.

"It's fine." She replied, smiling back at me. "And it's baby Everett." She added, no anger in her voice, just happiness.

"Sorry. My mistake." Katjaa replied, sticking the last of the bandage down. "I think you're done. I've given you some antibiotics to clear any infection but you may get nightmares as a side effect."

"Thanks again, Kat. I appreciate it." I said, standing and flexing my hand.

"No problem, Lee. It's great to know you're both okay… well… not in danger." She responded, copying me and tidying the surgical supplies. I shook her hand and left the room, feeling much better.

"See. That wasn't so hard, was it?" Carleys voice asked as we walked into our bedroom. I laughed quietly, getting into bed and covering myself with the blanket.

"Nah. Look, I'm gonna…"I said, feeling myself drift off to sleep. I felt Carleys soft kiss on my temple and the gentle brush of her fingers on my cheek. Darkness consumed me.

_I was back at the side of the road where we hit the walker. Bodies surrounded me. I looked carefully at the smallest one. Short , unkempt hair stuck up in all directions. Freckles covered his face. I looked up to see Clementine stood, bullet holes covering her tiny body. _

"_No… Clem…" I muttered, my voice disbelieving. I backed away, eventually hitting what I thought was a tree. I was wrong. Carley was behind me, a bullet hole in the front of her head. I let out a gasp of surprise, falling to my knees in fear and despair. "Car… What the hell happened? I saved you…"_

"_No, you let Lilly get me." She replied, oddly calm._

"_No… I got shot… you didn't… oh God!"_

"_I'll give you another chance. Can you save me this time?" She was more beautiful, yet more terrible than the Carley I remember. I let tears slide down my face. " You can't save anyone, not even that little girl. She's as good as dead. Hmph, dead girl walking."_

"_No…"_

"_You aren't a man." She continued, deaf to my murmurs. "You let her kill me."_

"_No!" I yelled, gripping her jeans in my hands._

"_My baby isn't yours, Lee." She said. I knew, there and then, that she wasn't the Carley I knew._

"NO!" I bellowed, waking suddenly, sitting upright. My sodden clothes clung to my skin. Carley sat beside me, rubbing my shoulders getly in an attempt to calm me.

"Shh, it's okay. Everything's fine." She soothed, brushing my sweaty hair with her cool hand. I felt myself calm at her touch.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." I stammered, hugging into her and sobbing. I could tell that she was shocked by the way she tensed her shoulders.

"What for? Lee, baby, what are you sorry for?" She asked, trying to get me to relax. I took a calming breath, removing my arms from around her.

"It doesn't matter. Just a nightmare." I breathed, relieved with her safety.

"You sure? I don't mind listening." She asked, running her hands over my broad shoulders. The touch of her skin made me feel happier… safer.

"Yeah. Thanks babe." I said, kissing her lightly and allowing myself to relax. I laid back down and encircled her in my arms.

"I love you." She said, turning to face me. I smiled and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I love you too." I said, smiling at her. We both drifted to sleep, dreaming of what would happen the next day.

_**A/N- Okay. Only a filler chapter so… not too important. I found out that Telltale were planning to do a 'nightmare' sequence with Carley after she was shot and this is how I thought it would play out **___


	15. Well, shit

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 15**

I sauntered down the rickety, wooden stairs. Carley and I had woken up half an hour ago and decided to engage in some 'mutual exercise'. I smiled at the small woman beside me, holding her hand tightly.

"Remember, Lee. If you need some time away from Irene, just go. It'll be fine." She said, smiling back at me softly. I ran my thumb against her knuckles, cherishing the quiet-time.

"You sure?" I asked, coming to halt at the bottom step, encircling her in my strong arms.

"Yeah… why wouldn't I be?" She assured, softly kissing my lips. I jumped down and walked into the kitchen. Everyone was sat around the large, oak table, conversing happily as they ate their small rations.

"Morning!" I yawned, walking over to the sink and grabbing a cup of water. Kenny grinned at me, looking like an idiot.

"Morning buddy. Don't tire yourself out too early, would ya?" He joked. I snapped my head up, grabbing a chair and sitting on it nervously.

"You heard us, then?" I asked quietly, nibbling on my crackers.

"The walls are like paper in this place. Yeah, I heard." He laughed, almost spilling his own drink. I looked over to see Irene blushing into her bread. I closed my eyes in embarrassment, knowing that Carley would be in for torture once she joined us.

"Oh shit…" I muttered, rubbing my eyes and chuckling lightly. Clementine looked at us, confused. I addressed her. "Ask me when you're older."

"Oh, you're kidding me? She's nine, Lee. She's gotta know sooner or later." Kenny teased, leaning over and punching my arm playfully.

"I know, but I'm gonna leave it for Carley. She knows more than I do about…well… you know…" I answered, flicking dust at him.

"Not at the table, guys!" Katjaa scolded, walking in carrying a bundle of clothes.

"Sorry." I said, looking to her and smiling.

"It's alright. I washed these for you." She said, putting them down on the counter. "Where's Carley?"

"She had to take a shower." I explained, winking at Kenny, resulting in another fit of laughter.

After we stopped laughing, the woman in question entered, kissing me on the cheek lightly.

"Hey." I greeted, patting her stomach fondly. She smiled down at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and sitting in my lap.

"Hey." She replied, winking at me. I caught Kenny's eye and started laughing again. "What's got into you?"

"Everyone heard us this morning." I whispered in her ear. Her cheeks flooded red and she tilted her head down in embarrassment.

"Oh my god!" She whispered covering her eyes with her hand. I laughed along with Kenny, eventually getting 'the look' from the woman in my lap. I stopped soon after.

"So… How's your hand feeling?" Katjaa asked, sitting beside Irene and ruffling her sons hair.

"It's sore… nothing I can't handle." I laughed, flexing my muscles jokingly.

"Yeah, right." Carley scoffed, squeezing them as if searching for something. I messed her hair lightly, earning a mock-glare. I kissed her cheek lovingly.

"Thanks, babe. Great to have the support of your loving girlfriend, huh?" I joked. She stood to allw me to grab my clothes off the kitchen counter.

"You ready to go, pal?" Kenny asked, making as if to follow me. I looked at him in confusion.

"What? I'm going to get ready." I laughed, gesturing to the bundle in my arms.

"I know. I'm talking about Clementine and Duck's lesson." He explained, gesturing to the two small children. I shook my head slightly.

"No. Clementine's not leaving further than the backyard for a good long while." I said, earning a shocked and disappointed look from the nine-year-old.

"But-" She started. I cut her off sharply.

"No buts. You aren't leaving the house and that's final." I said sternly, receiving an upset look. She hung her head.

"Okay…"

"Little harsh, don't you think?" Christa commented, looking at me in surprise. I looked back with determination. She rested her slender hand on Clem's shoulder, comforting her.

"Do me a favour? Let me discipline her how I want to. I'm setting boundaries." I said, turning and leaving the room. I trudged up the wooden stairs and turned into mine and Carley's bedroom. I placed the bundle on the blankets, sitting beside them gently. I didn't notice the woman in the doorway.

"Hey." I heard. I looked up to see Irene. I stood suddenly, shocked to see her. She laughed quietly, walking into the room slowly, moving her hips sexually as she walked.

"Hey." I said, smiling at her. She came to a halt in front of me, giving me a look that I couldn't place. Was it happiness, content… lust?

"I wanted to talk. If that's okay with you…" She said, her voice now just breaths. I nodded silently, pulling my shirt over my head. I felt her hand rest on my chest. "No. Leave it off."

My breath caught in my throat as I backed away slightly.

"Lee, you know I hate how things ended. With us, I mean." She muttered, running her hand up to my cheek. I was about to comment, asking her to back off when she captured my lips with hers. I widened my eyes in shock, trying desperately to pry myself from her grip. Grabbing her wrists forcefully, I pushed her away, earning a hurt look from her.

Breathing heavily, I leaned on the dresser behind me for support. I sighed, wiping my mouth of saliva.

"What the fuck was that for?!" I shouted, pulling my blue shirt on roughly and glaring at her through narrowed eyes.

"I… I don't know." She said back, mirroring my expression. I stormed over to her, raising my hand as if to hit her. I caught myself before I could. She opened her eyes slowly, as if she were figuring out what had happened. "What stopped you?"

"I'm not going to lower myself to that standard. You aren't going to make me hit you." I growled, pulling away and seeing the open door. "Was that open when you came in here?" I asked, bringing my voice back to the normal level.

"No. I closed it when I … you know…" She replied quickly, obviously scared of me. I gritted my teeth and thought the turn of events over in my head. My eyes widened in shock and I bolted from the room. On my way downstairs, all I thought was:

"_No. No. They didn't see anything." _

Turning into the living room, I was met with a horrific sight. Carley was crying on the couch, being comforted by Katjaa and Christa. Kenny, Ben, Chuck and Omid were stood glaring at me.

"Shit." I muttered as Kenny marched over to me and grabbed me by the throat, smashing me against the wall.


	16. The reactions

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 16**

"Shit." I muttered as Kenny marched over to me and grabbed me by the throat, smashing me against the wall. I felt my back click painfully as I struggled to free myself from the older man's grip. "Get off of me!"

"You fucker!" He shouted, bringing his fist up to connect with my cheek. I felt the sting of impact and blood trickle from the side of my mouth. I heard Carley shout for him to stop, telling him to let me talk. He took no notice. He hit me again, and again, and again.

"Get. Off. Me." I growled between punches. "I've. Got. To. Explain."

"Like fuck you are! You've done enough damage!" He shouted, continuing my beating. Eventually, his arm became tired and he loosened his grip, allowing me time to throw him off me. He thudded to the ground as I wiped the blood off my face.

"Now you've finished beating me, I think it's time for me to explain." I said calmly, wincing as I pinched my nose to stem the bleeding. Looking at the rest of the group, I wiped my sweaty forehead. "I guess someone witnessed what happened in mine and Carley's room. Who?"

"M-me." Ben admitted, his voice squeaking in fear. "I was coming up to tell you that Kenny was heading out with Omid. I knocked, didn't get an answer and opened the door a bit. I saw you and her and came down here again. I was gonna keep quiet but I couldn't lie to Carley."

"It's okay. I was gonna tell her anyway." I said, my expression soft. I heard footsteps behind me, announcing Irene's presence. "I went to get changed in our room, Car… and she just came in. She said that she wanted to talk. Then… she kissed me." I admitted. Receiving no reaction, I continued. "I got her off me and came down here as soon as I saw the door open."

"Is this true, Lee? You're telling me everything?" Carley asked, tears no longer flowing. I sighed deeply, gritting my teeth.

"Yes." I said, feeling guilty as soon as the words left my mouth.

"Guys, can I talk to him alone?" She asked the group. Everyone nodded and left, leaving just the two of us.

I stood awkwardly, stuffing my hands in my pockets and feeling warmth creep up the back of my neck. She stared back at me, folding her arms and looking at me enquiringly.

"Lee Everett. I have known you for seven months; a year if you count what happened when we died. I am pregnant with your child. I know when you're lying."

"I almost…" I started, hating myself. "I almost hit her."

She gasped, making me feel even guiltier. I continued, hoping to spare myself from her wrath.

"I was angry and upset. I promise that it will never happen again." I continued.

"Lee, I-" She tried to cut in. I kept my eyes away from her, looking out the window.

"I did it because she made me see what I used to have. I had a wife who didn't love me and a marriage that I wasn't happy in."

"That's great, Lee but-OW!" she said, attracting my attention. She was doubled up in pain, clutching her stomach and holding onto one of the chairs to keep her standing. I was by her side in two seconds.

"What's up? How long has this been happening?!" I asked, frantically trying to sit her down. She stayed rooted to the spot.

"Since about an hour ago." She replied. I was about to talk when she gritted her teeth and grunted in pain. My eyebrows retreated into my hairline and I held her hand comfortingly.

"Okay, breathe through it." I encouraged, mirroring her breathing.

"What the fuck's happening? Oh shit!" She asked, her voice scared. I kissed her forehead, hoping to calm her.

"Look, I'll go and get Katjaa. Can you… um… hold it in until I get back?" I asked, worried that she would have given birth when I returned. I got a look that clearly said _'Do I look like I'm doing anything fast?' _

"Just GO!" She shouted, cupping her stomach in her hand. It's fair to say it was the fastest I'd moved in my life.

"KATJAA!" I bellowed at the top of my voice, throwing myself through the open back door. Everyone's eyes turned to me, shocked at me being there.

"What's wrong, Lee?" The woman asked, standing and putting a hand on my shoulder. I took steadying breaths.

"Carley… she's got pains… barely standing…" I muttered, running my hands through my hair worriedly, not sure of what to say.

"Calm down, Lee. I can't understand you." She said, taking my hands down and making me look at her. I took a calming breath and tried again.

"Carley's getting pains. She can barely stand up!" I said, making as if to run inside. I looked back at the stunned woman. "Come on! Please help her!"

"Okay. Where is she?" She asked, snapping back to life. I ran back inside, through the maze of rooms to find Carley sat on the couch, clutching her stomach and gritting her teeth in pain.

"I'm here, baby. Don't worry." I said, sitting in front of her and holding her hand encouragingly. She breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed it tightly.

"Okay, Carley. What happened?" Katjaa asked, drying her hands on a clean towel.

"I just… AH! I keep getting these pains every few minutes." She said, squeezing my hand with all her might. I grimaced, trying not to show the shooting pain that was running through my arm.

"Okay. How far along are you? If you don't mind me asking." Katjaa asked, bending down next to me. I looked at Carley, hoping that she knew that information.

"Five and a half…six months… I don't know!" She said, tears now coming from her eyes. I kissed her hand, hoping to stop her being upset. "Please, Katjaa. Whatever it takes, make sure our baby lives!"

"I'll do my best, sweetie. I promise." She replied, patting her knee and standing. "Now, how about we get you upstairs and check to see what's happening?"

"Okay. Upsy daisies." I said, lifting her off the couch and setting her on her feet.

It took us a while to get her up the stairs, leaving us both quite tired. Eventually, we got her into our bedroom and on the bed.

"Alrighty, then. I'm going to feel your stomach to see the position of the baby." Katjaa said, her voice calming. She turned to me. "Lee, do you mind leaving the room? I don't usually allow the fathers in the room."

"Um… okay." I said, kissing my girlfriend's forehead gently and standing. Just as I was about to leave, I turned to Katjaa. "If you need me, just shout."

"I will." She said as I left. I almost crept down the stairs, numb from shock.

"What the fuck just happened?" I asked myself, sitting down on the fluffy couch. I heard light footsteps beside me. Looking up, I saw Clementine stood nervously by the door. "Hey, sweet-pea. I thought you'd be playing with Duck outside."

"I was but I wanted to see you and Carley." She explained, coming further in and standing next to me. I patted the couch gently, indicating her to sit with me. She did so eagerly and cuddled into me. "What's wrong with Carley?"

I gritted my teeth, not quite sure of the situation myself. I didn't have a hope in hell of explaining it to a nine year old.

"Um… she's not very well." I replied, hoping that she wouldn't ask any more.

"But… you said she was in pain." She continued, looking at me with her big, hazel eyes. My heart melted.

"Yeah, she is. I…" I stopped, hoping that what I was about to say wasn't true. "I think she's losing the baby."

"Oh. I don't feel good…" She said, snuggling into my side once more. After a while, everyone else filtered in, led by Kenny. I glared at him, wiping my bleeding mouth once again.

"What's going on?" He asked, sitting in one of the heavy, oak chairs. I turned my head to him, anger showing.

"I don't fucking know." I growled. He looked at me in surprise.

"Where is she, anyway? I thought you said she was in here."

"She's in our bedroom. Katjaa asked me to leave." I said, my expression softening. "I… I think she might be having a miscarriage."

"What?" He breathed, his voice disbelieving and sympathy evident on his face. "She can't be. What brought it on?"

"Shock, I think." I said, looking at Irene angrily. "If It is a miscarriage, you're out of here."

"I wouldn't expect anything else." She replied calmly, picking up an outdated magazine and flicking it open. I gritted my teeth and turned back to the rest of the group.

"Dude, I'm so sorry. Is there anything we can do?" Omid asked, pattig my shoulder comfortingly. I shook my head.

"No. Not unless you have a time machine." I laughed, trying to take my mind off the situation at hand. We all heard footsteps from the staircase, indicating someones presence. I stood suddenly, hoping to see Carley. My heart dropped as I saw Katjaa appear with her hands covered in blood.

"Lee. I need to talk to you for a moment." She said, looking at me sadly.


	17. Hey, buddy

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 17**

**A/N- Okay, so I don't usually do this but, oh well! I wrote a 'prequel' to this story, showing Carley's backstory. It's only one Chapter for now but if I get enough people who want me to, I'll continue it! ON WITH THE STORY!**

"Lee. I need to talk to you for a moment." She said, looking at me sadly. I nodded silently and gulped.

"What's wrong with my Girlfriend? What's happened to my baby?" I asked, not bothered that we were still in front of everyone.

"Just… follow me." She said, leaving the room. I did as she asked, making my way up the stairs behind her. Eventually, she opened the door to our bedroom. My breath caught in my throat.

The first thing I noticed was blood. A lot of it. Carley was on the bed, a blood-soaked blanked covering her parted legs. I stood for a while. What could I say to her? After what had just happened to her.

"Lee." She said, her voice cracking. My heart broke to see her like that; so vulnerable. She was obviously trying to keep herself from crying. Hair was matted in her forehead and she was clearly getting weaker. I pulled a chair over and sat on it gently, taking her hand in mine.

"I'm here…" I said softly, running my thumb over her hand gently. It took everything in me to stop myself from crying.

"I'm sorry, Lee." She said, allowing tears to fall freely. My eyebrows shot into my hairline.

"Hey. You don't have anything to be sorry for." I said, squeezing her hand and brushing her hair softly.

"But… this shouldn't be happening for another two months _at least!" _She argued, becoming visibly paler.

"I know. I don't blame you. If anyone, I blame myself." I said, kissing her hand and looking in her eyes deeply.

"Sorry to interrupt you guys but we need to discuss the options." Katjaa said from the corned. I was about to agree when I heard Carley speak.

"What options are there? You keep this baby alive, no matter what." She said, her voice quiet. I looked her with wide eyes.

"You're no saying what I think you're saying?" I asked, my voice higher than usual.

"I am. If anything happens to me and I could come back as a walker. Don't fucking hesitate. I don't want to hurt anyone." She said. I was about to protest when she gritted her teeth in pain once again and screamed out.

"Lee. I need you to get Christa and Lilly. I don't let men in the room when I do this." Katjaa said, shooing me out and slamming the door behind her. I sprinted down the stairs, hearing Carleys screams as I did.

"Christa! Lilly! Katjaa needs your help." I said, running inside. They took one look at my pale face and did as I asked, bolting upstairs. Lilly stopped halfway up and turned to face me.

"I'lll do what I can, Lee. I promise." She said. I smiled slightly at her as she sprinted up the stairs.

"Is everything okay?" Kenny asked as I sat down beside Clementine. I wrapped a protective arm around her and silently shook my head. His face dropped. "What happened?"

"I… There was blood… a LOT of it." I said, feeling myself become faint.

"A lot…" Ben repeated quietly in the corner, his eyes threatening to roll. I would have laughed if it were under different circumstances.

"So… how is she?" Omid asked, genuinely upset. I turned to him, my eyes boring into his.

"She… I don't know." I admitted, standing and walking to the window. I started pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth. I continued for what felt like hours.

"Will you quit pacing?! You're making us all nervous!" Kenny said irritably, making me glare at him. He backed down, relaxing in his chair. For about an hour, the only sound was my footsteps. Ben had taken the kids outside to play in an attempt to make the wait easier on them. I heard panting from the doorway and turned to see Lilly with an empty bowl.

"Katjaa sent me for warm water." She explained, holding the large bowl up.

"Yeah, sure." I said, following her into the kitchen and relieved her of the receptacle and placed it into the large sink. Turning on the tap, I looked at the woman beside me closely.

"Not long now, Lee." She said gently, touching my arm comfortingly. I nodded, gulping down my nerves.

"I know. How's she doing?" I asked, keeping an eye on the water level.

"Actually, pretty good. She's tired but… she has an excuse for thet." She joked, trying and succeeding to make me laugh. I turned to look at her, closing the tap.

"What was that? Lilly Caul making a joke?" I chuckled, picking the heavy bowl up and handing it to her.

"Hey, I'm not a brick." She smiled back, walking from the kitchen and back into the living room.

"See 'ya." I said to her, resuming my pacing. I heard her go back upstairs and leaned against the window sill.

"Sit down, pal." Kenny said softly, patting my back. I did as he asked, taking my place on the couch. I relaxed into it, the stress of the day leaving me and sleep overtaking me.

**Half An Hour Later**

"Lee! Wake up!" I heard. My eyes fluttered open and revealed Lilly smiling down at me. Somehow, I must have shifted to lay on my back. "Someone wants to meet you."

My heart hammered against my chest. Kenny yahooed in the corner, fist-pumping the air. Omid joined him, running into the garden to fetch the kids.

"She's… It's over?" I asked, sitting up and looking at her hopefully. She smiled happily.

"Yeah." She said. I practically bounded up the stairs, her trailing behind me. I stopped before reaching our door, breathing heavily. I felt her presence beside me. "Go on, dumbass. Don't keep them waiting."

I pushed the door open gently and was met with the most glorious thing I had ever laid eyes on. Carley was in our bed, sweat covering her head, making her messy bangs cling to her. Blood soaked blankets sat in a pile on the floor. Her eyes were showing love like I'd never seen towards a bundle in her arms. My heart swelled with pride as she spotted me and smiled.

"Hey Lee… You want to meet your son?" She greeted quietly, adjusting her arms slightly to reveal the red faced infant. I approached the bed silently, unable to come up with the words to say. She chuckled at my expression. I knelt beside her bed and brought my hand up over her arm to rest on the tiny boy. I looked deep into her eyes and smiled happily, letting out a sigh of relief.

"He's… he's perfect." I breathed, looking at my son. _My son. _God, that was weird so think. The little boy in Carleys arms was _ours_. His head was covered in a little mop of black hair that looked like it would stick up in the same way mine did. I turned to the woman next to me. "_You're_ perfect."

"You're kidding, right? I've never looked worse." She laughed, pushing a strand of hair from her eyes. I took her hand in mine. Her emerald eyes sought mine out and held my gaze.

"You've never looked more beautiful." I smiled, earning an embarrassed look. I looked to Katjaa, silently thanking her.

"It was no problem, Lee. You've got yourselves a healthy baby boy." She said happily. "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone. We'll leave that for you two."

"Thank you, Kat. For everything." Carley said softly, happy tears threatening to fall. She smiled back and left us alone. She looked down at the sleeping infant. "I can't believe he's here." She said, he voice disbelieving.

"Neither can I. He sure gave us all a scare." I chuckled, running a finger over his soft hair.

"No shit." She laughed. The sudden movement woke him up and he began to cry, reaching out for his mother's touch. "Shh… I'm here. Mommy's here." She said, cradling him close. Suddenly, she changed. I no longer saw her as a young girl. She became a woman… a mother… His cries quietened and he fell silent.

"Hey, it's okay, buddy." I cooed, letting him take my finger. Carley looked at me genly and held him closer to me.

"Does Daddy want to hold him?" She asked softly, holding him out to me.

I nodded my head silently, nervously accepting the small boy. He wriggled slightly, trying to get comfortable in the change of environment. Eventually, he settled and opened his eyes. Emerald orbs stared back at me, making my breath catch in my throat.

"He has your eyes." I said simply, addressing my girlfriend. I looked back down at my son. "Hey, buddy. I'm your daddy. Oh, I love you so much." I said softly, giving the infant my finger to hold. I turned back to Carley. "What're we going to name him?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it." I admitted, sitting in the cushioned armchair by the bed. She bit her bottom lip and looked at me.

"I have one. It was the first name I thought of when I saw him." She said, nervously. I looked at her happily.

"Go ahead." I said, smiling happily.

"Logan James Everett." She breathed, looking at me for approval. "It's got a ring to it, no?"

"It does." I agreed, looking down.

"So, that's his name?" She asked as I adjusted him, trying to get him comfortable once again.

"Yeah… I think so." I agreed. I laughed softly. "You think I should go tell everyone? They'll be causing a riot down there."

"Yeah. Take Logan with you? They'll want to see him." She said, kissing his forehead softly.

"Back in a bit." I answered, leaving the room and walking down the stairs slowly. I heard the buzz of conversation getting louder as I neared the doorway. I stood in the doorway for a while, just observing them. Lilly and Kenny were getting along (for once) and sharing a beer. Katjaa sat with the kids, keeping them occupied and Christa sat with Omid, watching them happily. I cleared my throat, announcing my presence. Everyone's eyes widened when they noticed the tiny boy in my arms.

"No way…" Kenny muttered, smiling happily at me. I nodded, glancing down at the sleeping infant.

"Guys, I want to introduce you to Logan James Everett."

_**A/N- So, extra-long chapter as a way of apologising for being a bastard. Last chapter, I left you on a huge cliff-hanger and felt awful! Plus, I'm back at school tomorrow, meaning I won't have as much free time, meaning I won't be updating as fast as I have been. Sorry! I hope you enjoyed it!**_


	18. Family Time

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 18**

"Guys, I want to introduce you to Logan James Everett." I said softly, holding the tiny boy more securely in my arms.

"Aw, Lee! He's a mini you!" Omid laughed, cheering happily.

"Yeah. He's got Carley's eyes." I looked down at him. "When he's awake, that is."

"Ah, already like his old man?" Kenny laughed, making fun of my sleeping patterns.

"Shut up, man!" I joked, walking over to Clementine. "Do you want to come and see Carley?"

"Yeah!" She said, nodding eagerly and taking my offered hand. I gestured for the rest to follow us in a while and made my way back upstairs. I could tell that Clementine was nervous, eyeing Logan as if he was some sort of bomb. I smiled down at her, hoping to comfort her to his presence.

"Go ahead…" I said as we approached the closed door. She pushed it gently and smiled happily.

"Carley!" She shouted, running to her and hugging her. I chuckled at the woman's shocked expression.

"Hey, sweetheart!" She greeted back, kissing Clementine's forehead. I made my way in, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding my girlfriend's hand. "Sorry for scaring you earlier."

"It's okay. How are you feeling?" She asked as she let go of the woman.

"I feel better than I have in weeks." She responded happily, smiling at the small girl. She looked up at me, silently asking for my permission to ask her. I nodded, squeezing her hand gently. "Clem… You want to hold Logan?"

"Um…" She stammered nervously. She shuffled her feet, staring down at them intently. "I'll drop him…"

"No you won't. You'll be sat on here with me." Carley said softly, making Clem look a little more confident. She shuffled on the bed, coming to rest in between Carleys legs. When she got comfortable, I moved away, going to place the boy in her arms.

"Okay, sweet-pea. He might wriggle for a while but don't worry, he's just getting comfy." I assured as Carley helped get her arms into the right position. Getting the nod, I placed him into the nine-year-olds small arms.

"Woah…" She said, amazed by his being. I smiled, watching her giggle as he shifted. Carley kept her hands hovering beneath Clementines, in case her arms got tired or he shifted too far. She looked at the baby. "Hey… I'm your big sister…"

Carley smiled happily, hugging the girl from behind and smiling.

"Big sister Clementine. Sounds pretty cool, huh?" I laughed, stroking her hair softly. She looked up at me and grinned.

"Yeah. It sounds awesome." She agreed, giving the baby her finger. I laughed, seeing him grip it tightly and pop it into his tiny mouth.

A knock startled us all, making us turn to the door in confusion.

"I, uh… think that might be the others." I said, kissing Carley's forehead and opening the door. Everyone stood there, smiling at the scene before them.

"Hey Pal!" Kenny greeted, handing me a beer. "I hope we're not intruding."

"Of course not! Come in!" Carley insisted, smiling at them all ecstatically. They did as she asked, shuffling in and smiling at the trio in the bed.

"How're you feeling Carley?" Omid asked, hugging her and stroking Logan's hair.

"I feel amazing… you know… considering." She blushed, looking at the two children in her arms. I smiled, watching my family happily.

"He's perfect, you guys." Christa said softly, squeezing my arm as I took a sup of the amber liquid. I shrugged lightly, gesturing to the woman on the bed.

"He looks like his mom. That's nothing to do with me." I laughed, seeing Carley blush.

"Shush…" she muttered, a red tint to her cheeks. I smiled at her, taking another sup of beer. My face crinkled at the aftertaste.

"I know, buddy. It's all we could get though, and we wanted to wet this guy's head." Kenny apologised, gesturing to my son. Clementine's face contorted with confusion.

"Wet his head? What does that mean?" She asked softly, looking up at us.

"Um… it means…" I thought, trying to put it into simple terms. "Well, when a baby's born, the father and his friends have a drink to celebrate."

"Good explanation, professor." Carley joked, smiling at me. I mock-glared at her.

"Sorry we're not all reporters here." I laughed, earning a playful shove from Lilly. Ben just stared open mouthed at the baby, almost terrified to do anything. "You okay, Ben?"

"Yeah… I'm fine. It's just… I've never been good around kids." He replied, his voice cracking slightly. Suddenly, Logan started whimpering, making us all worry. Carley blushed once again.

"I… um… sorry, I think he's hungry." She muttered, gently taking him off Clementine, cradling him in her arms and rubbing his back gently.

"Okay, we'll leave you to sort that out, then…" Christa said, opening the door to allow everyone to leave. She clasped Clementine's hand and led her from the room. Soon, it was just the three of us once again, congratulations ringing fresh in our ears.

"You want me to leave?" I asked, hovering by the door. She looked at me in confusion, her face scrunching up.

"Come on, Lee. We've got a baby. It's not like you haven't seen me naked before." She laughed, adjusting her shirt. He had latched on before I knew it. Carley winced, stroking the boy's hair.

"Woah, slow down, buddy. You'll get stomach ache." I laughed watching him happily. I turned to Carley. "How's it feel?"

"It's weird." She replied simply, staring down at the baby in her arms.

"Good or bad?" I asked, pressing for an answer. Truthfully, I wanted to know every detail.

"Wonderful weird." She breathed. I took her hand in mine and intertwined our fingers without thinking. She was completely mesmerized by our son. I smiled proudly, hardly believing that he was here. She looked at me, her eyes filled with happiness. "I love you."

"I love you too." I replied, kissing her gently.

**Twenty Minutes Later (No-one's POV)**

"Just in the corner. Thanks Kenny." Carley said, opening the door to allow them through. Lee had found a Crib in the attic, obviously having belonged to the previous occupants. Him and Kenny got it down in no time. The two men huffed, lugging the piece of wood through the narrow door and putting it in the place indicated.

"No problem." He replied, patting her shoulder fondly and leaving. Lee stood awkwardly against the door frame, his hands in his pockets.

"Lee, you can go if you want. I need to get my bearings anyway. It's been a long day." She said quietly, holding her baby boy tightly. Seeing her boyfriend look at her sceptically, she continued. "I promise I'll be down in a while."

He left, still slightly suspicious. She stared at the bundle in her arms and put him in his crib. She sighed, allowing him to take one of her slender fingers in his pudgy hand.

"I wish I could tell you that you'd be loved; that you'd be safe and cared for and protected. But this isn't a time for lies." She admitted, looking at him with as much love as she could. She continued after taking a few slow breaths. "What you are going to be, Logan, is very, very brave.

"You'll never be alone. I can promise that no matter what happens, I'll always be here. So will your daddy. You've got so many people who love you already and you're not even a day old." She spoke, feeling his grip slacken as he fell asleep. "I wish you'd have a normal childhood, not having to live with these monsters or the fear of going around a corner. But, I can tell that it's going to get better. You're the first sign of that.

"I love you so much already, baby boy. I can tell you're going to be like your daddy; your sleeping patterns for one thing. And in this cruel world, if anything were to ever happen to us, remember this.

"I'll always be there..."


	19. Man On A Mission

**A Second Chance **

**Chapter 19**

"Come on, Hon. He's fine." I said, staring at the small woman happily. I shuffled over to her and wrapped my arms around her, kissing her neck.

"He's… he's here." She said, her voice still disbelieving. I laughed against her smooth skin, my eyes drifting towards the sleeping boy.

"He's _asleep_. That won't last much longer. Now, come on." I said, pulling her back gently. "You've had a long day."

"No shit." She laughed, lying down beside me. I stared into her emerald eyes, admiring how beautiful she was. She sighed deeply, her eyes moving downwards. "Everything's going to change now, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It is." I confirmed, tilting her chin back up, making her look at me. "But we can get through it. Hell, if we can come back from the dead, we can do anything."

"I guess so." She laughed, snuggling into my shoulder and resting her hand on my chest. I leaned down to kiss her forehead, receiving a content sigh in response. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The next thing I knew, it was light and the space beside me was empty. I sat up, scratching my head sleepily. I looked to the corner of the room to be greeted with the sight of an empty crib. Worry filled me and I bolted downstairs, not bothering that I was only in my boxers and t-shirt. I sprinted to the kitchen, skidding to a halt when I saw Carley sat with Clementine and Duck, eating her breakfast and cradling Logan in her arms. She looked up at me and smiled softly. Her eyes were already darker underneath than normal. "Nice undies." She commented, making the others (whom I had not noticed until that moment) laugh. I suddenly became very self-conscious, slowly moving my arms to obstruct their view, a red tint appearing on my cheeks. "They're cute."

"Thanks." I muttered, my biceps twitching in the cold. I felt my boxers ruffle as Kenny entered from the back garden. His eyes widened as he took in my attire.

"Cute 'tighties, bud." He laughed, grabbing himself a cup of water. I settled in one of the rickety wooden chairs, ruffling Clem's hair as I did, earning a wide smile.

"Shove it." I said, mock-glaring at the other man. I grabbed a cracker, biting it hungrily. "What's the plan for today, then?"

"Go out and get formula and clothes for Logan." He replied, rubbing a hand over his face and yawning deeply.

"When're you thinking of heading out?" I asked, stuffing the rest of the cracker in my mouth and standing, walking to the doorway. I turned to hear him answer.

"Whenever you're ready. Just, please put some clothes on. Your 'tighties are scaring the kids." He laughed, snorting into his water. I normally would have gave him the finger. Today, however, I simply rolled my eyes, going back upstairs to get ready.

Five minutes later, I flexed my arms as I returned to the kitchen, washed and dressed. Carley smiled at me once again, greeting me with a soft kiss.

"Hey mommy…" I whispered so only she could hear. She laughed gently, hugging me awkwardly as to not squash Logan, who was sleeping in her arms. "How's my little man doing?"

"He's fine." She replied, looking at him happily. "Sleeping, like his daddy." I creased my forehead in a mock-glare, taking the tiny boy in my arms.

"That was uncalled for, Palmer." I muttered, hearing her chuckle in response. I lightly spiked Logan's hair, feeling him wriggle at my touch. I looked up to Kenny. "You ready to head out, Ken?"

"Yeah. In and out." He replied, ruffling Duck's hair and kissing Katjaa's forehead. I went as if to hand him back to Carley when she stopped me.

"I'm coming with you." She said, looking directly into my eyes. I groaned, leaning against the counter, feeling the corner on the back of my legs.

"Carley…" I said lowly, bringing Logan up to rest his head on my shoulder.

"I'm serious." She insisted, her voice cracking slightly. "I haven't gone on a run for five months."

"No. No way." I said, letting out a frustrated sigh. "You were pregnant."

"But I'm not pregnant anymore!" She said, her voice rising slightly. "I gave birth yesterday, if you hadn't noticed!"

"This is why you should stay. You need to be here, in case anything happens while we're out there. He'll need his mom!" I shouted, feeling Logan start to squirm with the sudden noise. I jiggled him slightly, hoping to relax him. Thankfully, it worked and he grizzled, clutching my shirt in his tiny hands.

"You're worried about me dying?! It won't happen again!" She shouted, borderline screaming. Surely, this was down to freaky-baby-hormones. This wasn't the woman I knew. She wouldn't talk about that; not in front of everyone.

"Seriously?! You're choosing to talk about that _now_?!" I exclaimed. She looked at me through tired, dark-rimmed eyes. I quietened; looking around at everyone's shocked faces. She breathed heavily, her eyes widening in fear. I quickly came up with an excuse. "It was a nightmare I had."

"Carley… if it means anything, I agree with Lee." Kenny said quietly, walking over to us slowly.

"You know what? You stay here, Ken. She can come with me." I said as I handed Logan to Clementine and made sure she held him securely.

"Thank you Lee." She said, making as if to grab her gun. I put my hand in front of her, effectively creating a barricade.

"You're only coming if you go by my rules." I said, seeing her nod eagerly in response.

"Whatever you say." She said, reaching out again. I handed her the firearm, taking the safety off.

"You only use this unless it's necessary. We've got to be as quiet as possible." I said, watching her secure it on her jeans. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." She smiled, hugging me. We both kissed Clementine and Logan's foreheads before striding out the door.

**Five Minutes Later**

"God. It feels good to be away from that mansion." She said, taking deep gulps of air.

"Can you please stay focused?" I said in a carried whisper, keeping my rifle in front of me. She looked at me sceptically. "It's a lot more dangerous than your last run. Macon was pretty much clear. This place however…"

"Yes sir." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. I saw her shift her ring on her finger and I smiled to myself. "So…"

"So." I repeated, making her chuckle.

"Clem's taking to being a big sister pretty well." She noted, taking her gun out as we approached a corner. We took cover and I peeked around, seeing an empty street.

"We're clear." I said, motioning for her to follow me. She followed me, looking behind us every few minutes. "I guess she _is_ taking to it well."

Carley looked shocked at my sudden reply. "Yeah. She was all over him this morning."

I let out a laugh, knowing how much the girl truly cared for him. My face became serious.

"How're you feeling?" I asked, genuinely concerned for her. She smiled up at me as we crept up the street, letting out a chuckle.

"I'm fine. A bit sore, but that's to be expected." She said, placing her hand on my arm, trying to comfort me. "Don't worry. If I can survive on no coffee, I can get through this."

"Only you, Palmer. Only you." I laughed as we neared the row of shops. She playfully shoved me, laughing happily. I quietly opened the door to the child-care store and signalled for her to stay put. She did as I asked, allowing me to ring the bell above the door. Receiving no response, I smiled.

"We clear?" She asked, obviously having seen me relax and lower my gun.

"Yeah. Come on." I said, placing my hand on the small of her back.

"Watch your hands, Everett!" She joked looking at me impishly and biting her bottom lip. "You know that's off the table for a while."

"Yeah, I kinda guessed that. Plus, we need to stock up on condoms." I laughed, picking up a hand basket from the doorway and holding it up to show her. "Feel's funny holding one of these."

"I bet it does." She laughed, picking tins of formula and placing them carefully in the basket. "I guess you're right about the condoms. I'm never going through that again!"

"I know. I'm sorry." I said, seeing her crease her forehead in confusion. I continued. "It was like holding in a sneeze."

"Woah, Rambo! I didn't need to know that." She said, picking out some reusable diapers and putting them alongside the formula.

"Still, it was my fault." I stated, hitching the into my hands to make it sturdier. Carley approached me, holding three onesies, barely big enough to fit over my hand. "I take full responsibility for that mistake."

"It was a good mistake, though." She said, kissing my cheek gently. She pulled away and ran her hand over my cheek. "I'm glad you couldn't hold that sneeze."

**A/N-****Hi! Okay, I'm so so so sorry about not updating in, like, forever but I have a valid excuse! I've been completely overtaken by exams! I need them to get into college (and provide for my girlfriend and kids) so I've been revising like crazy! So, being the lovely person I am, I gave you a longer chapter than normal and a promise to update soon! Again, I'm so so so so sorry!**


	20. A Leisurely Jog

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 20**

**A/N-**** Hello! Wow, quick update! I promised that I'd update fast so, here it is! I'm sorry for the ending of this chapter but I wanted to do something that could take me in a new direction with this story and keep it fresh for you guys. Please don't hate me! Pretty please? Okay, on with the story!**

"Okay, I think we've got everything." I said, checking the items in my basket. She laughed, popping out from behind the register, a box in her hand. I squinted, trying to make out the label. She evidently saw my questioning look and raised her eyebrows.

"Condoms." She said simply, double-checking all of the items and tapping my hands when she was done.

"Ah, okay." I said, smiling down at her. "Ready to go?"

"Yep." She said happily, opening the door for me to leave. I looked at her questioningly.

"Aren't I supposed to be doing that for _you_?" I joked, earning a gently shove on the shoulder and a cough that sounded suspiciously like 'sexist bastard'. I closed the door quietly behind me and kept a firm grip on the basket while taking the safety off my gun. We crept back down the road, checking behind us every few minutes.

Eventually, we turned a corner and were faced with a horde of what must have been a hundred walkers. I dragged Carley, who hadn't noticed as she was checking behind us, behind some stacked boxes and crates. She yelped in surprise and I covered her mouth quickly, turning it into a muffled squeak. I put a finger to my lips, earning a nod from her. She pulled my hand from her face and looked at me, obviously confused.

"Why can't we just go around them?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"No. The only other way around is packed with them. Shit!" I said, slapping my palm against my forehead. I could see panic taking over her and her breathing became noticeably faster. I put my hand on her shoulder comfortingly, having a small effect.

"There's got to be _some_ way to get back!" She said, her emerald eyes widening, fear dwelling in them. She was trying to mask it, but I knew it was there. I suddenly had an idea. But, no, it was stupid. It was suicidal. I looked over at my girlfriend and knew in that instant what to do.

"Carley, look at me." I said, swallowing the nerves in my chest. She did as I asked and I continued. "I need you to stay here. I'll clear the way, leaving you free to get back."

"How're we gonna distract them without shooting? That'll just attract more, if anything." She said, her emerald eyes boring into mine. I brought my hand up and held her cheek in my palm lovingly, moving my thumb tenderly.

"I think you know." I said, closing my eyes and resting my forehead against hers. She clutched my hand as if she was terrified to let it go.

"No. No fucking way, Lee." She said, shaking her head and looking at me with wide eyes. My heart dropped.

"Car… Remember what you promised?" I asked, recalling our conversation at the mansion. "You promised that you'd do what I said."

"I don't care! You are not doing this! Our son isn't even a day old and you're already doing all these stupid, life threatening missions!" She said, keeping her voice to a carried whisper. "He isn't growing up without you! I refuse to let that happen!"

"Carley… this is the only way." I said, putting the basket in her arms. "Meet me back at the house."

"Lee, I-" She started to protest, only to have me kiss her, effectively shutting her up.

"When they're gone, I need you to run." I said, looking deep into her eyes. She looked back, the fear I saw earlier was now replaced with sadness and regret. I breathed a sigh, desperately containing my emotion. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She responded, closing her eyes in a defeated manner. I kissed her forehead gently, stroking her hair lovingly. I stood slowly and gestured for her to get ready. I turned and sped forward, bellowing at the top of my voice. "COME ON YOU BASTARDS!"

The corpses turned their, decaying, mangled faces to the source of the noise and grunted, making their way towards me. The stench of rotting flesh hit my nostrils and I fled into a back street, the herd filing in behind me.

**An Hour Later**

My feet pounded the pavement as I approached the mansion. My breath was becoming heavy and my muscles were aching. I launched myself through the open back gate and into the the open back door.

"Carley! Clem! I'm home!" I yelled, putting my weapon on the kitchen counter. I heard muffling coming from the living room and smiled to myself. At least they got home safe. "Hey! What's it take for a guy to get some love around here?"

My eyes locked onto a note on the table. I walked over to it and picked it up.

_Lee,_

_I'm so, so, so sorry for doing this but we had to leave. The house got overrun with walkers and we all got out of there. I begged them to stay in savannah but we couldn't risk it. We're heading back towards Macon. If you get this, meet us by the train or head back the way we came. We'll more than likely be back at the Motor-inn. Logan and Clem are safe. _

_Love you, _

_From Carley_

My heart dropped. They were gone. I was alone.

"Fuck!" I said, allowing myself a moment to breathe. My son, daughter and Girlfriend were gone. "Oh shit!"

I grabbed my gun once again and went back outside. I knew I had quite a journey ahead of me. I clicked my gun to life and started for the gate, muttering only one sentence, my eyes filled with determination.

"I'm on my way, guys. I promise. I'm going to find you if it's the last thing I do."


	21. A Promise

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 21**

Fire burned in my eyes as I stormed down the street, the only destination in my mind was the train.

"They've got to be there. Please, God. If you have any heart whatsoever, let them be at the train." I muttered, feeling something squelch beneath my shoe. I bent down to investigate and found a blood-soaked baby grow. My heart dropped. I grasped it tightly in my hand and sighed. We had picked it up that morning in the damned childcare store. I shook my head, effectively snapping myself out of it. It was not the time to get emotional. It was time I got to my family.

"Come on, Everett. Get a grip!" I scolded, gritting my teeth and standing, feeling my back crack painfully. I grunted, stepping away from the house and focusing on the train.

**Half an Hour Later**

Nowhere. The train was gone. I missed them.

"Fuck!" I shouted, running my hands through my short hair. I simply stood for a while, thinking about what I would do. Anger flooded through me, aimed at myself. "Why did I have to be the hero? I could've done anything! I could have… oh, who am I kidding? I couldn't have done shit."

"Yeah, you're right." A voice behind me said. I turned in surprise to see a small figure, somewhat strutting up the hill towards me. I pulled my gun from my pants and kept it in front of me. "You couldn't have done anything." Somehow, their voice sounded familiar. So did their orange hoodie.

"Hold it." I warned, raising my gun to keep them at bay. They stopped, raising their arms into a surrender. I smirked, feeling triumphant. "Take the hood down." I commanded, taking a step forward, not lowering my weapon. They sighed, slowly lowered the material and took off the surgical mask covering their face. I gasped in surprise. Stood before me was Molly.

"That better, jerkoff?" She smirked, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. I would have hugged her if I hadn't remembered that she didn't know me. She made as if to walk towards me and I kept my gun fixated on her.

"What's your name and what are you doing here?" I asked, my voice low and my palms sweating. She arched an eyebrow and looked at me sceptically. I simply stayed stone-faced. She sighed in frustration.

"The name's Molly. I lived in the Crawford area of Savannah before the world went to shit." She replied, still smiling. "Now, your turn. Why were you out here, shouting to thin air?"

"My… my family…" I sighed, lowering the gun and walking towards her. I groaned, running my hand over my stubble. She looked at me sympathetically. I pulled the crumpled note from my pocket and held it out to her silently. She took it in her small hands and read through it, her eyes filling with sadness.

"Clem and Logan. They your kids?" She asked, handing it back. I nodded, folding it neatly and making as if to put it in my top pocket. I felt another piece of paper there and felt my body become numb. I shakily brought it out and unfolded it. I immediately recognized Clementine's child-like scrawl and was taken back to the day I was given it. I'd just found out about Carley's pregnancy. Clementine was eight-years-old. God, it felt like years since then. Molly looked at it and patted my shoulder. "Look, you'll find them. I'll help."

"You sure?" I asked, smiling at the picture. I folded it up once again and smiled at the small woman. She smirked back.

"Yeah. If I didn't help you, what kind of person would I be?" She laughed, bringing her ice-pick out in front of her and pointing west. "Macon's _that_ way. You ready to go?"

"Hell yeah." I said, walking slowly, stuffing my hands in my pockets. She sauntered beside me, staring curiously.

After about an hour, I heard her talk once again.

"Carley… Is she your wife?" She asked, completely throwing me off. I looked at her, amused slightly.

"No. We met in the first days of this mess." I admitted, smiling at the memory. "We've been together for about seven months."

"Oh. So, if you don't mind me asking, how old are your kids? You seem like a family-kind-of-man." She pressed, obviously curious.

"Clementine's nine and Logan's… wait… what time is it?" I stopped, looking down at my watch. "He's ten hours old."

"Holy shit." She responded, her eyes widening. "It must suck, being away from them."

"Yeah, it does." I said, staring back down at the gravel road beneath my feet. I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder. I looked over to see a small smile playing at her lips.

"You'll find them." She said softly, moving her hand away. "I've got no doubts."

**On the Train**

Carley sat in the corner of the stuffy boxcar, cradling Logan and staring down at him. She glanced over her shoulder and what she saw made her heart stop.

Clementine sat next to Duck, her head resting in his shoulder and their small hands intertwined. She smiled softly seeing how content they were. Logan squirmed slightly and opened his small mouth into a yawn. She would have smiled if their situation wasn't so serious. His father was gone… possibly dead… and she was powerless to do anything.

"Hey…" She heard a voice call. She looked up to see Lilly stood awkwardly. Patting the space beside her, she smiled.

"Hey." Carley addressed the small boy in her arms. "That's your Aunt Lilly."

"Hey buddy." The other woman smiled, reaching over to touch the duck-fuzz that coated his head. Her face got suddenly serious as she addressed his mother. "How're you holding up?"

Carley's eyes cast downwards, her emerald orbs turning a reptile, dull green.

"I'll manage." She said, sighing loudly. "I mean, countless other women managed to raise a child alone. Why can't I?"

"But, you're not going to be alone. We're all here for you." The younger woman said, patting her shoulder gently. Carley looked up at her, eyes tired.

"Look, I _do_ appreciate it… but we're in the middle of an apocalypse and I'm sure you've all got other things to worry about." She said, running a shaky hand through her hair and taking a steadying breath. "I can do this. I _have_ to." She said, averting her eyes to look down at her baby-boy. "I'm not leaving him without his mom."


	22. More Carley times

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 22**

"Ah, fuck!" Kenny shouted, taking off his cap and running a hand through his unkempt hair. He looked around to the others who were sat on some logs in the clearing next to the tracks. "We're outta juice!" He spat at the ground angrily and sat beside his wife and son. Carley sat with Clem (who was still slightly peeved about leaving Lee behind), watching as the young girl fed Logan from his bottle. Ben sat strumming away at Chuck's guitar, receiving tips from the older man. Omid and Christa were waiting in the boxcar, the latter being exhausted from the extra weight she was carrying. Lilly was stood at the edge of the clearing, keeping watch for unexpected visitors.

"Come on. It could be worse!" Carley said optimistically, trying to install some cheer to the group. Sadly, it didn't work.

"The hell it could!" Kenny almost shouted. "We're stuck in the middle of nowhere, we've got next to no supplies, Lee's who the fuck knows and to top it all off, we've got to look out for _your_ damn baby! How could it get much worse?!"

Carley's eyes narrowed dangerously at the mention of her son. Like any mother, she was extremely protective of her child… of _any_ child.

"How _dare_ you." She growled, her eyes flashing to a reptile, steely green. "Don't **ever** mention my son as if he's some sort of problem."

"I'll talk however I want to!" Kenny shouted back, stuffing his cap on his head. He stood and began pacing in frustration. He sighed angrily. "I mean, he was crying when the house was overrun! We could have taken cover until they became manageable or drifted away. But _no_. He decided to get antsy!"

Carley felt anger build up inside her. Kenny was too far gone to take in anything she said. She did the only thing she could: nothing.

She simply let him continue, not taking anything in until his last sentences.

"And you were stupid enough to get knocked up in an apocalypse! Hadn't you ever thought of using a damned condom? You'd _think_ you'd have had some sense!"

She brought herself to her full height (which wasn't much), squared her shoulders and walked up to the older man. By this time, everyone was watching the exchange.

"You listen to me." She began dangerously, her eyes showing huge amounts of anger. Kenny looked terrified (although he wouldn't admit it), gulping down his nerves. "First off, we hadn't thought about using a condom until afterwards. We were talking and Lee mentioned it. I told him that I was infertile, which I thought was true at the time.

Second, we weren't exactly planning it, so we couldn't have even gotten and protection. Third, Lee was my first, so we didn't really have time for thinking. And last, don't you _ever_, _ever _blame him for what happened. He's a fucking baby and there were monsters filtering through the house! Of course he was going to cry!" She growled. Kenny looked back in shock. He had never expected her to react like that! Hell, he didn't think anyone was. Noticing his silence, she continued. "What part of that surprised you?"

It took a while for Kenny to recover. He sighed and gulped loudly.

"Um… everything." He said, not quite grasping himself. He shook his head and continued. "You were told… You were told that you were sterile?"

Carley's eyes filled with sadness as she was took back to that day. She was seventeen and had been diagnosed large ovarian cyst. Her mother and father were distraught, being told that they had to dispose of one of her ovaries, leaving her chances of conceiving barely above one percent. Nearly impossible.

"Yeah, I was. My parents were mortified, me being an only child and all. They'd never have a grandchild. God, how do you tell someone that they'll never have a kid?" She said, sighing heavily. "That's why I couldn't get rid of Logan. I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Um… Carley…" Clementine called, effectively catching the woman's attention. Logan was squirming uncomfortably in the small girl's arms, full from his bottle.

"Alright sweetie, hand him over." She said softly, smiling as the girl unfolded her arms, allowing the woman room to take the small boy. Once holding him securely, Carley brought him up to her shoulder and patted his back. "Come on, baby boy... Do it for mommy…" She muttered pacing backwards and forwards. Eventually, she earned a small squeak from him and sighed in relief. She turned back to Clementine. "I think I'm gonna keep hold of him for a while, okay?"

"Yeah." The small girl smiled, hopping off the log and running over to Duck, clasping his hand and dragging him away to play in the leaves.

"Not too far away!" Carley and Katjaa called after them. "Stay within sight!"

"Okay mom…"

"Okay Carley…"

They waited until the children were out of earshot before continuing.

"Look, Kenny…" Carley started, kissing her son's head and staring at the man in question. "I'm just gonna put your little outburst down to lack of sleep. I won't mention it again, unless you talk about Logan or Clem like that. Got it?"

"You got it. I'm sorry, I didn't realize…" He started, only to be cut off by Carley.

"Like I said; Don't worry about it." She laughed, sitting herself down on the log once again. She felt his eyes on her and looked up to see him running a hand over his face. "Seriously, let it go. We're all tired. We're all missing Lee. It's only to be expected."

"Okay. If you insist." He chuckled, raising his hands in a surrender. Carley allowed herself a while to relax (as much as she could in the circumstances) and watch Clementine and Duck throw leaves at each other, all the while laughing happily.

"It's good to see, isn't it?" Lilly chirped up, a rare smile adorning her face. Everyone smiled along with her.

"Yeah." Carley agreed, allowing Logan to take one of her slender fingers in his tiny hand.

"Hey, check it out." Kenny whispered, trying to contain his laughter. Everyone looked over to see Clementine plant a kiss on Duck's cheek, only to have him screw his face up and wipe it off in disgust. "He's a real charmer, my son."

"I'll need to have _'the talk'_ with Clem soon. Ugh, I wish Lee was here to do this!" Carley groaned, running a hand through her short hair. Hell, she just wished he was _there_. "God, she's growing up."

"You'll get used to the feeling." Katjaa smiled, touching the younger woman's shoulder. "You'll _have_ to."

"Like hell that's going to happen." She joked, laughing heartily at the other woman. "I might be a mom now, but I'm still thirty-five!"

"You just keep thinking that." Lilly laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Shut it." Carley warned jokingly, letting Logan take hold of her finger again. They all laughed, turning their attention back towards the playing children.

**A/N- Okay, I know… only a filler chapter but the fun starts real soon! I promise! Thanks to everyone for reviewing and reading this! It's getting more views than I would ever imagine! Please R&R and stay tuned for fun times in the apocalypse! HPT OUT!**


	23. Hello?

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 23**

**A/N- I'm so so so so sorry! My laptop died so I had to rewrite this ENTIRE chapter! Hopefully, the chapter itself should make up for it!**

I sighed happily, relishing the feel of her skin against mine. Everything down to the scar on her right cheek was perfect. Her short, brown hair was splayed out around her head, giving her a wild, untamed look. God, she looked so innocent. Even in this world, it was a rarity.

I kissed her cheek softly and allowed my eyes to roam the cramped boxcar. In the corner, not too far away from us, Clementine slept, curled into a little ball with her hand snaking into a drawer that contained Logan. He was gripping one of her small fingers and grizzling as he slept.

I must have watched them for longer than I thought, because I soon heard a soft voice calling me.

"They're fine, Lee." She said, cupping my cheek with her hand and bringing my head around to look in her eyes. "They're fine."

"I know." I smiled, kissing her softly. I pulled away and my grin got even wider. "I just _can't _believe I found you!"

"Well, you did." She said, mirroring my smile. I relaxed next to her once again, feeling her cuddle into my chest. Eventually, her breathing evened out and soft snores rang through the boxcar.

_**BANG!**_

I awoke with a start and stared around me, trying to grasp my surroundings. The only other person, besides myself, was Molly.

_**BANG!**_

Molly mirrored my actions and grabbed for her climbing hook. I pressed a finger to my lips and stood, grabbing Carley's gun from the back of my jeans.

"_What the fuck was that?"_ molly mouthed, cocking her head slightly to the side. I shrugged in response and opened the door to the boxcar. What I discovered shocked me. An old man stood, checking out the remains of the fire. I raised Carley's gun and walked towards him, barely making any noise.

"Stay right there, Jackass!" I growled. They froze at the sound of my voice and turned slowly, their hands in a surrender.

"Look, son. I don't want to hurt you." He said tiredly. "I saw you two earlier and told myself to get you on my way back from the supply run I was on. I'll take you to my camp. You'll be safe there."

After sharing a significant look with Molly, I sighed in acceptance.

"Fine. But if we don't like what we see, we're going."

**Twenty Minutes Later**

Tents. Rows of tents greeted us. I thought it would have been fortified with walls, no tin cans on string!

"This is your fucking camp?!" I hissed, careful to not alert anyone to our presence. It was sunrise now and people were already emerging from their tents. He gestured to a small clearing with two whitewashed logs and nodded, telling us silently to sit there.

We watched as he approached a three-man tent and peeped his head inside. He stayed like that for a while emerging with a small smile on his face. I scrunched my face in confusion, receiving the signal to stay patient.

Soon, the inhabitant of the tent began to emerge; chocolate brown hair, green eyes, a purple jacket and blue jeans.

"Dad! Seriously? This was the first time both of the kids have slept through since-" She stopped, looking directly at me. Honestly, I looked like I'd been to hell and back. My shirt sleeve was torn off, blood soaking into my white undershirt. My jeans were torn and I hadn't had a shave in god knows how long. But I was there, staring at my girlfriend. She simply stared for a long moment before releasing a breath. "Lee?"

"Carley!" I breathed out, launching myself towards her and enveloping her in a crushing hug. She collapsed into me and I felt her body shake with sobs. I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead softly. "I'm here."

"I thought… I thought I'd lost you." She sobbed, desperately clinging to the back of my neck and burying her head in my shoulder. "I thought you were gone."

"Hey… Shh… you know it takes more than a few undead people to take me down." I soothed, trying to make a joke. "Hey, come on. The last time you cried, you went into labour. We don't want any surprises, do we?"

I smiled as I heard her chuckle lightly and pulled back to look her in the eyes. Oh, those gorgeous eyes. Sure, they were slightly red from crying but they were still the shining emerald that had always been. I let out a laugh, cupping her cheek and wiping her tears away with my thumb.

"We left you." She mumbled, her eyes not meeting mine. I shook my head, dismissing her regrets.

A cry caught our attention. A baby's cry. Logan.

"I'll get him." Carley muttered, ducking back in the tent and emerging a moment later, clutching our son in her arms. She was whispering to him. "Hey baby boy, look who's here… it's daddy…" She muttered, gently bouncing him with his head resting on her shoulder.

I stretched out my arms, silently asking permission to take him. She nodded, handing him over. It felt so surreal to be holding my son once again. I softly kissed his forehead and hugged him to my chest.

"Hey buddy… Do you remember me?" I cooed, hearing him quieten and seeing his wide emerald eyes look at me. He reached up, grabbing my finger tightly and making what would have been a smile. "That's right… Oh, I missed you so much…"

Right then, in that moment, it was me and my son. No one else. People started emerging from the tents surrounding us. People I recognized: Kenny, Katjaa, Duck, Lilly…

"Carley?" I heard from back inside the tent, snapping me from my 'bubble'. Carley smiled, taking Logan back into her maternal embrace and opening the entrance for me. I shuffled inside and slowly unzipped the 'bedroom' compartment. Clementine was busying herself, stuffing her cap on her head. Fortunately, she hadn't seen me yet. "Carley? Are you there?"

"It's not Carley, sweet-pea." I muttered, laughing when her head snapped around and she launched herself into my arms, clinging for dear life. Carley approached us and joined our hug. I was back with my _family._


	24. A Long Awaited Update

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 24**

"Lee?"

"Yeah?" He asked, looking up from feeding Logan and seeing Clementine, shuffling her feet with her head hung low. It had been three days since his return, and things had never been going smoother in his relationship with Carley.

"You know when you were in Savannah?" She asked, obviously testing the ground. He nodded, placing the empty bottle down beside him on the log and bringing his son up to his shoulder, gently rubbing his back. "Did you find my parents?"

Logan promptly spit up, covering his shoulder. He swore lightly, moving the smiling boy away.

"Car! He did it again!" He yelled, gesturing for Clementine to wait a second.

"Again? When are you going to remember the burping cloth?!" Her voice called back, slight laughter in it. He watched as she hopped out of their tent with the small, rather grubby cloth in her hand. He took it gratefully, handing her over their son in exchange.

"Thanks." He grumbled, slipping his blue button-down off and wiping the white spit-up away gently. His face scrunched up in disgust when the left over spit up on the material rubbed off, leaving an even bigger stain. "Oh, shit this fucking cloth…"

"Watch your language, Lee!" Carley lectured, bouncing Logan in her arms and glaring at her boyfriend. "The kids could hear you!"

"_Yes dear_." He mocked, pulling a funny face and grumbling as he set back to work on his shirt. After several unsuccessful attempts, he just growled and pulled it back over his head. "Screw it."

"You are so gross…" Carley said, rolling her eyes and chuckling. She looked down at the baby in her arms. "Come on, L.J, you need your diaper changed. Say '_bye daddy!'_"

Lee smiled at the use of his son's nickname. Hell, he was proud to say he was the one to come up with it. He waved slightly, going to hug his girlfriend when she backed away, staring at the puke-stain hesitantly.

"No way, Everett." She laughed, turning her back and walking over to their tent. "I may love you. But not enough for a pukey hug."

"Thanks babe." He muttered, sitting back down on the log. He remembered Clementine and turned to her quickly. "What did you want to ask me, Clem?"

It took her a while before finally replying, seeming to think her words over carefully

"It doesn't matter…"

"You sure?" He asked, checking that she was absolutely certain.

"Yeah." She muttered, walking away from him, towards Duck, who was playing with a patched up soccer ball by the clearing. He leaned back and watched as they dribbled the ball to each other, laughing all the while. Then, David (Carley's father) emerged from his tent, his hair ruffled and his eyes dark.

"Hey David!" He shouted, standing to approach his un-official father-in-law. He turned to look at him and smiled, waving him over.

"Hey Lee. How're you doing, son?" He asked, clapping him on the shoulder and leading him away from the camp.

"I , uh, wanted to talk to you about something." He replied. He felt his heart beating beneath his ribcage and took several steadying breaths. Once they were far enough away, he started. "Obviously, Carley will have told you about my past."

"Yes she has." He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at the younger man with admiration.

"And I want you to know that… what I did…. I regret it every day. I will never ever harm your daughter, Logan or Clementine. I promise." He said, looking directly into David's emerald eyes. It was almost like talking to his girlfriend.

"Thank you, son. That means a lot to me." He responded, unfolding his arms and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Now, is there anything else? I know for a _fact_ that wasn't the only thing you wanted to talk to me about."

Lee was taken aback. Shit this guy knew people!

"Actually, I was wondering if you would consider marrying us, if I had your blessing to ask her in the first place." He mumbled. This was nothing like the last time. He and Carley had kids to think about now. "I know you probably hate my guts for what I've done in the past, but I know I love her and our kids. And I want to spend whatever time I have left in this world as your daughter's husband."

David seemed to think over Lee's words for a moment. Here was a man with a lot of regrets. A _lot_. Yet, he was going through absolute hell for a child that wasn't his and his new family. This, David thought, was a real man. He wasn't pretending to be brave or tough. He wasn't risking his life over every tiny bump in the road. He was just trying to do what was best for his family and the people he cared about.

"Of course you have my blessing, son. I know how you feel about each other. And who am I to deny love?" He grinned, pulling the younger man into a hug. He laughed when he felt Lee's heartbeat going about five times too fast. "Just don't go giving me any more grandchildren until this entire mess is over with." He laughed, pulling away from their embrace.

"Anything you say, sir." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck and walking away, leaving David to think over what had just happened.

Lee approached their tent, hearing gurgles of happiness coming from inside; no doubt it was Logan laughing at his mother. He opened the entrance and was met with the cutest sight he had ever seen.

Carley was laid on her back, her legs bent with Logan resting against them, being jiggled and squealing in pure happiness. She looked towards the sudden light and grinned at him, gesturing for him to approach them. He did as she asked, plopping down next to her and gently stroking the duck-fluff that was his son's hair.

She leaned up to kiss her boyfriend's cheek before sitting up and cradling her baby boy in her arms. Her left hand made its way over and her fingers snaked between his, her head resting coming to rest gently on his shoulder.

They stayed in silence for a while, just enjoying being together once again.

"So…" Lee started, breaking the comfortable quiet they had formed. Carley moved her head away from his shoulder and looked up into his dark brown eyes. "We're pretty much a married couple by now, aren't we? We just have different last names."

She nodded, her mouth forming a grin as she did.

"Yeah, you could say that." She agreed, squeezing his hand gently.

"Well, how about we change that? Logan and I are getting lonely being the only Everetts around here." He said, his voice light and joking. His eyes, though, were more serious than she'd ever seen.

"What?" She gasped, her emerald orbs widening in shock. He chuckled, nodding his head and turning so he was on one knee, still holding her hand firmly in his.

"Carley, I'm asking you to marry me. I love you. We've got our son and daughter. I want us to be a proper family. So, what do you say? Will you marry me?" He said, allowing words to flow from his mouth. His eyes were still locked securely on hers, waiting for some sort of answer.

She let go of his hand, stood up and placed Logan in his porta-crib before practically pouncing on him, kissing him passionately, at the same time toppling both of them backwards onto the floor. They stayed in the lover's embrace for a while before Lee pulled away, breathing heavily.

"So, is that a yes then?" He asked, laughing when she nodded happily, once again tugging the front of his shirt and bringing him in for a heated kiss.

**A/N- ****OMFG guys im so sorry! I've had such a busy week so I haven't updated in like forever! Please feel free to send me a virtual slap (my girlfriend will do it for you) in the reviews. **

**So, pour your CarLee feels out in this chapter! I decided to give you quite a fluffy one to make up for the huge update break! Again, I'm so sorry! Please review? HPTwin OUT!**


	25. Hold On

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 25**

It had now been a week since I proposed and it was the day of our 'wedding'. Carley's father would read from the bible and we would exchange vows; probably the best we could do in the circumstances. Kat had checked Carley over a couple of days before, deeming her once again safe to resume sexual activity. We had decided to wait until we were officially married before we made love once more, wanting it to be special.

"So…" Kenny laughed that morning, whittling away at a branch and shaking his head in disbelief. "You're definitely goin' through with this, huh?"

"Yeah." I replied, reclining in the one of the lawn chairs and resting Logan against my chest. He clutched my shirt and shifted himself so he was comfortable. "Besides, Carley's dad isn't exactly _happy_ about us having _him_ out of wedlock." I said, pointing to the squirming infant on my chest.

"Ah, I hear ya, bud. Tryin' to calm the father-in-law." The older man laughed, resting his elbows on his knees and cocking his head to one side, stopping his whittling to talk to his friend.

"That's the fucking problem; He's not my father-in-law." I laughed, gently taking a few of my son's hairs and spiking them into a faux-hawk. Surely, Carley would kill me but… oh to hell with it! He was my son and I could do what the hell I wanted. "Still, we won't have that problem soon."

"Yeah. Just keep tellin' yourself that." He laughed, rolling his eyes and resuming his whittling. He looked up, still moving the knife in a downwards movement. "You still had a kid when you weren't married. He's gonna hold that against you two for a _long_ time."

"Ah shut up man!" I laughed, kicking some fallen leaves at him. Kenny played along, dodging them and using his arms as a shield.

"Lee Everett! What are you exposing our son to?!" Carley's voice chirped up as she approached them from behind. She rested her hands on my shoulders and I leaned my head back, bringing her in for a gentle kiss. We separated and her eyes widened, seeing her son's hair. "What have you done to his hair?!"

"Nothing." I lied, grimacing and looking downwards. My shoes could be very interesting when they needed to be, I found.

"What're you doing over here anyway? It's supposed to be bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding." Kenny asked, snapping us from their domestic bubble.

"We're in a fucking apocalypse. How much worse can our luck get?" I scoffed, earning a slap to the back of the head.

"Language, Lee!" She hissed, covering Logan's ears protectively. "When're you going to stop swearing in front of him?"

"I don't!" I argued back, smirking slightly.

"Liar." She commented, reaching down and taking the small boy from me. "Now come on LJ. I want some snuggle time before you go to stay with your Aunt Lilly tonight."

"You know you could have asked me and Kat to take care of them!" Kenny said, almost scolding. Carley looked back sympathetically.

"You know we would have if we weren't in tents. Yours is crowded enough already." She replied, smiling sadly. "Lilly offered because she has the spare compartment for Clem."

"I'm not complaining, I was just saying." Kenny laughed, seeing Carley walk off towards our tent.

"Anyway…" He said after a while, huffing slightly. "Welcome back into the joys of marriage."

I grinned, feeling my heart begin to pound beneath my ribcage.

"Glad to be back."

**Two Hours Later**

We stood beside each other, holding hands and smiling. Our friends sat to my right (Carley's Left) and we stood in front of her father who was holding an open bible.

"Friends, we gather here to witness the joy of finding love in a cruel, dark world." He started, speaking loudly and clearly so everyone could hear. "Even in these desperate and awful times, Lee and Carley have managed to let love thrive. Such love has blossomed into a child, and later into a family. Please, recite your vows to each other."

I took a deep breath and gulped down my nerves. This wasn't like last time. Last time was in a church and in front of our entire families. Now, it was just our closest friends and our kids.

"Carley… To put it simply, I love you. My first marriage was full of secrets and regrets. I sincerely hope ours isn't. You don't need to hide anything from me. I love you. _I love you_. Not that flirty girl I met at the drug store, not that sex machine I lived with at the motel, you. Every flaw every quirk... I love everything about you — everything that makes you... you. I love you, Carley.

"I promise to love you until my last breath and beyond. Whether that be tomorrow or sixty years. I will be faithful and true to you. I promise this."

I finished and looked directly into her eyes. They were teary and shining. She sniffed, hugging me tightly.

"Now, Carley… you do the same…" David said softly, obviously straining to keep the tears back.

She took a shaky breath and began.

"Where do I begin, Lee?" She asked, smiling wetly. "I made the best mistake of my life when I walked into your parent's drugstore. I thought you'd resent me for knowing… well, knowing what I know. Then, one morning we woke up next to each other after a drunken night. It was the best thing I ever did because I got you… I got our baby boy… I got a family.

"Whenever people would talk about love, I would just ignore them. I thought it'd never happen to me. Oh how wrong was I? I love you, Lee. I know I don't tell you enough but I do. And I promise to love you until I cross over to the other side and beyond. Whether that be tomorrow or sixty years."

I smiled down at her and blinked back tears. This is what a marriage should be. This is what a _family_ should be. We both looked over to see David wiping his eyes free of tears.

"Well…" He sniffed, blinking rapidly to try hiding his tears. "By the power vested in me, and in front of God and your friends, I pronounce you husband and wife. Lee, you can kiss your wife."

I wasted no time, reaching over and dipping her, connecting our lips to much cheering and catcalls. I felt her stiffen in surprise then relax, bringing her hand up to the back of my head and threading her fingers through my short hair.

Eventually, I pulled away, placing her back on her feet and turning to our friends. Clementine, who was still clutching her little brother tightly, ran over to them and hugged them both tightly. Carley took hold of Logan and clutched one of Clementine's hands in her own. I copied her and started walking into the crowd of happy, cheering people.

**That Night**

We opened our tent and looked around, not used to the sight of it without the various baby-toys and random debris that had built up over time. Evidently, Carley had cleared it up before the ceremony. She went to step in when held my hand up.

"Whoa, where'd you think you're going?" I asked, stopping her with my human barricade. She looked at me sceptically and chuckled.

"Well, hon. I don't think my dad would appreciate us doing what we're planning to out here, would he?" She asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Where'd you think I'm going?"

"No… I mean… Oh, to hell with it!" I said, shrugging my shoulders and picking her up easily, one arm behind her back while the other was under her knees. She shrieked, wrapping her arms around my neck and laughing. I stepped through the open flap and set her down, receiving a kiss as reward.

She eventually pulled away, biting her bottom lip and leaving her arms around my neck. I smiled down at her, receiving a laugh in response.

"You are so traditional. Did anyone ever tell you that?" She chuckled, tilting her head to one side. I just nodded and shrugged my shoulders. "I love you." She whispered, her breath making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"I love you too." I replied, my voice low. She let go of my shoulders and walked towards the sleeping compartment, only looking back to say one sentence:

"Just, come in when you're ready."

I nodded my head dumbly, watching the sway of her hips as she walked and the slight movement of her hair. She zipped up the door, making me snap myself from my daydream. I was about to walk through when remembrance and fear hit me like a freight train. I crept from our tent, over to Kenny's and tapped on the flap expectantly. Eventually, the man in question opened it, shock all over his face.

"Already in trouble with the wife, buddy?" He laughed, his eyebrows retreating into his hairline. I shook my head and laughed along with him.

"Nah. I just… uh, I left my essentials in here in my pack." I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment. He nodded in understanding and retreated back inside. I heard various ruffling, quiet crashes and crackles before he emerged with my pack and an old CD-Boombox. I creased my brow, looking at it inquisitively. He shrugged, handing them over.

"I just thought you'd want to set the mood." He stated, winking. "Wouldn't want the father-in-law hearing you, would you?"

"You're absolutely fucking right. Thanks man." I laughed, storing the condoms in my pocket and checking the stereo for batteries. I nodded in appreciation towards him and turned to our tent. The last thing I heard before closing the entrance flap was:

"Have fun, buddy. Knock yourself out."

I approached our 'bedroom' and knocked gently, hiding the boombox behind my back. Carley's voice came from inside, telling me to come in. I did as she asked, peeking in and relaxing when I noticed that she was fully clothed. She looked up at me and smiled.

"I uh, had to get some protection from my pack." I explained, following the look of confusion she game me. She walked over to me as I placed the stereo down, pressing play. The baritone of Michael Bublé filled the air and I captured her lips with mine. I picked her up easily and she wrapped her legs around my waist. We stayed in the embrace for longer than I remember, just taking in every inch of the others body.

_Didn't they always say we were the lucky ones?_

_I guess that we were once, babe, we were once_

_But luck will leave you 'cause it is a faithless friend_

_And in the end when life has got you down_

_You've got someone here you can wrap your arms around_

I lowered us to our mats, never breaking our kiss and slowly taking off her bubble-vest. She moaned into the kiss, arching her back so I could take the garment off easier. I did so, tossing it to one side and moving her so she was laying on her back, with me hovering over her.

_So hold on to me tight,_

_hold on to me tonight._

_We are stronger here together,_

_than we could ever be alone._

_So hold on to me,_

_don't you ever let me go._

Then, as our hands started roaming further across the other's skin, our need intensified. I, for one, wanted to simply rip her shirt off. I restrained myself, however. Carley didn't. She went for my belt buckle, quickly unclipping it and throwing it across the room. Her hands wandered to my clothed shirt, fumbling with the buttons in her shaky hands and eventually taking it off, revealing my scarred chest.

_There's a thousand ways for things to fall apart,_

_but it's no ones fault, no it's not my fault._

_Maybe all the plans we made might not work out,_

_but I have no doubt, even though it's hard to see._

_I've got faith in us, and I believe in you and me._

I easily slipped her green shirt over her head, laying it down to one side. She clambered on top of me, straddling my abdomen and helping me with her bra. I growled when I couldn't get it to budge, much to her amusement. She unclipped it with ease, senting me a look that clearly said _"It's not that hard, you know?" _I mock-glared, bringing my head up to kiss along her collarbone, earning a satisfied moan.

_So hold on to me tight._

_Hold on, I promise it will be alright._

_Cuz it's you and me together,_

_and baby all we've got is time._

_So hold on to me,_

_hold on to me tonight._

She moved her hands down to unzip my jeans, gently pulling them off my legs and once again taking her spot on my stomach. I did the same for her, moving her jeans slowly, as to not rush her and make her feel pressured. That just left our underwear separating us.

_There's so many dreams that we have given up._

_Take a look at all we've got,_

_and with this kind of love,_

_and what we've got here is enough._

These lyrics grabbed both our attentions, as they spoke so truly about our lives. We had given up so many things for this life, but we had managed to build a life. I now had a wife and kids. And that, in my opinion, was better than any amount of money or any job I could have. I kissed my gorgeous wife lovingly, hooking my fingers in the seams of her panties and pulled them off slowly. Meanwhile, she had done the same with my boxers, throwing them down next to us.

_So hold on to me tight._

_Hold on, I promise it will be alright._

_Cuz we are stronger here together,_

_than we could ever be alone._

_Just hold on to me,_

_don't you ever let me go._

_Hold on to me, it's gonna be alright._

_Hold on to me tonight._

I reached over before we could gog any further, grabbing the condoms and slipping it on. Then, in the confines of that tent on that cold spring night, we became united as man and women could once again. And as soft moans and murmurs filled the air, the final moments of the song played out.

_They always say, we were the lucky ones._

**A/N-** So, there you go! Your fave OTP are 'married!'! I hope you don't mind the slight smut scene there. Don't think it was meant to be fapping material, it was meant to be tender and realistic. The song was 'Hold On' by Michael Bublé, if you were wondering. Please R&R? HPTwin OUT!


	26. The Morning After

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 26**

The first thing I noticed when I awoke the next morning was the sleeping form to my left. I looked down to see the slumbering woman in my arms, her naked chest rising and falling in time with her slow, soft snores. God, I loved this woman. She was the person who I could turn to for anything, who had encouraged me to confess my past to everyone and was the only other person I could truly trust, besides Clem.

She started to shift in my arms, yawning deeply and running her hand over her eyes. I laughed, kissing her forehead.

"Morning missus Everett." I whispered, smiling broadly when her emerald eyes opened, settling on mine. She reached up and cupped my cheek in her soft hand and mirrored my expression. I leaned down and captured her lips with mine. She quickly brought me in closer, flipping us over so she was straddling my midsection. We broke apart for a while, just letting our hands roam over the others body and whispering sweet nothings. "I love you…" I muttered as she reached down for the waistband on my boxers.

"I love you too." She smiled back. Before we could go any further, however, a tired and rather worried voice called from outside our tent.

"Guys! You decent?" Lilly's voice sounded, snapping us from our newly-wedded bliss. I threw my baggy t-shirt over to Carley, who had hurriedly scrambled off me and was now hastily searching for her discarded underwear. She sent me a thankful smile and slipped it on, glaring when I laughed at it falling to her knees.

"Yeah, come in Lilly!" I shouted in response, covering my bare chest, which made Carley laugh at my embarrassment. The young woman peeked through, looking very tired and dishevelled. We both laughed this time, seeing baby sick and god knows what else on her shirt. Her face, however, stopped us in our tracks when we noticed the fear etched upon her features. I swallowed down the nerves that had suddenly built up. "What's wrong?"

"Clementine… She's not good…" She mumbled. We both bolted up (thankfully, I had pulled my boxers on before I fell asleep) and followed her to her tent, where she gestured to the half-open compartment.

"Clem…" I whispered, crouching down to see how she was holding up. Her cap was slung by the corner, folded awkwardly. I went to pick it up when I felt the sweat-soaked material beneath my clumsy fingertips. Her sleeping bag was open, showing me her small, shaking form, covered in her sodden clothes. I moved a bit closer, sitting down beside her and simply holding her little, warm hand in mine. God, she was so frail!

"L-lee?" She mumbled, stirring slightly and opening her eyes a miniscule amount. Her normally bright, hazel orbs that were so full of life were dark and unrevealing.

"It's okay, honey… I'm here." I assured, smoothing down her sweaty locks with my free hand. She made a sudden retching motion and I knew immediately what was about to happen. After all, I _was_ a teacher. I picked her up and took her outside, setting her shaking form down and rubbing her back as she expelled the contents of her stomach painfully. I looked up to see Carley watching in pity. I gestured for her to bring a thin t-shirt over, to which she nodded and retreated back inside our tent.

I heard footsteps approaching and looked over to see Christa (who was now waddling, rather than walking) and Chuck with their brows creased in confusion and sympathy towards the small girl.

"Hey sweetheart…" Christa soothed, bending down (as best she could) to see Clementine's tired face. "What's wrong, huh?"

"I think it's a couple days of bed rest for her." I replied for her, as she once again threw up, doubling over and squealing in pain. "She's running a fever." I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Chuck, who had a small smile on his face.

"I'll go get some medicine for her." He said, running his hand through his messy, white hair as he walked away.

Clementine sighed, straightening up clutching onto me tightly. I brought her in further, easily picking her up and kissing her temple lovingly. Christa ran her finger through the damp tendrils of the little girl's hair, looking at her sympathetically. She looked up to me and smiled.

"If you need any help… any at all, just shout." She ordered, smirking as she walked away. I gave a small salute and headed towards our tent, still holding Clementine tightly.

I slowly entered, seeing Carley clearing up our compartment and making a space big enough for a small sleeping bag. As soon as she noticed us, she was over, making sure Clementine was okay. I set the small girl down and bent down to her level, taking her clammy hands in mine.

"Alright, sweet-pea." I whispered, squeezing her hands gently. "Carley's gonna help you get changed out of these sweaty clothes into something much cooler while I go and get some medicine for you. Okay?"

She mutely nodded, burying her head into Carley. I turned and grabbed my jeans, pulling them on quickly and heading back outside in an attempt to find Chuck.

**Ten Minutes Later**

"Hey girls, I'm back!" I called, ducking through the tent flap and entering the bedroom. Carley was laid with Clementine, talking in hushed tones and smiling lightly. The small girl was now wearing Carley's baggy, green t-shirt, leaving her discarded clothes in the corner. I knelt down beside them, taking the bottle out of my pocket and unscrewing it. "Alright, sweet-pea. This medicine should make you feel better."

She nodded, sitting up so she could swallow it and gulping it down with a pained expression. She laid back down, coughing slightly.

"Hey, Car…" I whispered, thinking that Clem had drifted to sleep. "Go get Logan? He's still with Lilly."

"Yeah." She agreed, standing up from her position and gesturing for me to take her place. I padded over, avoiding the random debris that was spread all over the floor. She kissed my cheek softly and made her way out, sending me a small smile at the entrance.

"Lee?" I heard and looked down to see Clementine with red-rimmed eyes.

"What's up?" I asked softly, gently smoothing her hair. She looked up at me, clutching my hand in her tiny one as if I'd disappear if she didn't.

"Please don't leave again." She begged, desperation evident in her voice and her face. "Please don't leave me…"

"I won't." I assured, smiling down at her and kissing her forehead lightly. "I promise."

She was soon dragged into the realms of sleep and I simply watched the slow rise and fall of her chest with her steady breathing. I wasn't trying to replace her parents. God no! I would never replace them. I knew that, but somehow I found myself wishing that she was mine. I wouldn't ever admit it, but when she asked me about finding her parents, it tugged at my heartstrings.

Was I really that bad a guardian?


	27. I'm sorry

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 27**

**A/N****- Okay guys, back to the relative dangers of the apocalypse after the fluffy, domestic chapters! Please don't hate me for this? Please?**

Clementine made a full recovery thanks to Calpol, a thin shirt and mine and Carley's TLC. Logan was getting bigger by the day, much to mine and Carley's fear.

"_Oh my god, Lee_." Carley commented one day, seeing him drag himself around the tent using just his arms and babbling away in complete gibberish. _"My baby boy's growing up!"_

One day in his sixth month, I was relaxing in our tent with Clementine and Logan after I got back from a run. Carley was off doing the washing with Christa and Katjaa while Lilly stood guard over the small creek, leaving me with the kids.

Logan was curled up in his crib while Clementine and I played a game of Go-fish when our relaxation was interrupted by a frantic-looking Carley.

"Guys!" She panted, her chest heaving as she clutched it. I stood, worrying out of my head while Clementine huddled over to the sleeping boy.

"What's up?" I asked, relaxing when I saw the goofy grin that was spreading across her features.

"Christa's gone into labour." She said simply, bending down to greet Clementine with a hug.

"Holy sh-!"

"Lee!" Carley interrupted, elbowing me in the ribs and effectively shutting me up. She knelt down and kissed Logan's forehead softly, making him crinkle his face in aggravation. She smiled and stood once again, grabbing mine and Clementine's hands in hers and pulling us outside.

Christa was being huddled into her and Omid's tent, hyperventilating and gripping her boyfriend's hand tightly. Lilly and Katjaa were busy clearing the general debris of the floor, making space for her. Omid, however, looked absolutely terrified. His eyes were wide (well, wider than they normally were) and he was sweating nervously. When he made as if to follow her inside, Katjaa held her arm out and shook her head.

"Come on, buddy." I laughed, walking over to him and throwing my arm around his shoulders, leading him away from the tent. "I know it sucks, but it's for the best. You don't want to hear her in pain."

"That's my kid, Lee!" He exclaimed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "I'll never forgive myself if I'm not there!"

"You'll never forgive yourself if you see what she's going through. Now, come on." I instructed, sitting us both down on one of the overturned, whitewashed logs in the clearing. "Relax, buddy. You're going to be here for a while."

**With The Girls**

"Holy fuck, Carley!" Christa groaned, sweating profusely. "How the hell did you do this for nearly six hours?!"

"I know, honey." The older woman soothed, brushing the sweat away with a damp cloth. "It's well worth it in the end. I promise."

"It better be…" She replied, letting out an almost inhuman noise. She felt something warm trickle down her leg and looked at the three others in surprise. Their faces blanched as they stared at the patch between her legs. "What the fuck was that?!"

"That's blood, honey." Katjaa said simply, mopping it up with one of the many towels they had. "It's okay. It's actually fairly normal."

"Fairly?!" Christa squeaked, gripping onto Carley's hand tightly.

"Yeah." Katjaa replied, nodding her head and tossing the towel to the side. "Now, I want you to relax. This isn't going to get easier."

**Back With the Guys**

Omid paced back and forth, wringing his hands and shaking his head in disbelief. It had been two hours since we had last seen the girls and we had received little to no progress reports.

Christa's screams had gotten gradually louder over the course of the two hours, making Omid worse than any of us had expected.

A rustling from inside the tent caught our attention and Carley emerged with Lilly beside her. Her eyes were filled with tears. We all stood and Carley launched herself into my arms. Almost instantly, I knew what had happened.

"Hey." I soothed as she sobbed into my chest. I smoothed her hair as Lilly guided Omid inside.

"Oh my G-god, Lee!" She said between sobs, gripping onto me tightly. "I… I just can't believe…"

"Christa or the baby?" I asked, knowing the answer without her needing one.

"T-the baby… A gorgeous baby girl."

"How's Christa?" I asked gently, rubbing her back in a circular motion.

"How do you think she is?!" She exclaimed, making me jump back in shock. "Her baby just died, Lee! Imagine if it was us with Logan!"

"Okay, I'm sorry…" I whispered, brushing away her tears with the pad of my thumb. "I didn't mean it like that… I just mean how she was feeling… Y'know, after giving birth."

"Sorry." She quickly apologized, kneeling down and embracing Clementine in her maternal embrace. She moved her head slightly so she was looking in the little girl's eyes. "You okay, sweetheart?"

"Yeah…" Clem replied, wiping her eyes and snuggling into Carley's arms.

"You understand what's just happened?"

"Yeah."

"Okay…" Carley sighed, standing once again and making her way over to their tent.

"He's asleep." Lee called, stopping her in her tracks. "I fed him ten minutes ago."

"I know, Lee… I just…" Carley shrugged, entering the tent and leaving us outside, shuffling our feet and grieving together.

**Two Days Later**

A burial had been held that night, allowing Christa and Omid to say goodbye to their baby girl. She hadn't turned, which meant no one had to put her down. I honestly don't think I could have done it.

As Kenny and I crept through the forest, we kept our ears and eyes alert to pick up any imminent danger. Our guns were held in front of us and our breathing was low.

"You okay, bud?" Kenny asked quietly. I furrowed my brow at the question and nodded.

"Yeah." I replied, keeping on high alert. "Why d'you ask?"

"It's just… ever since the funeral… you've been different."

"I just can't imagine what Christa and Omid are going through." I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. "Their baby just died! I know it's an apocalypse and we're used to death by now, but it was a _baby_!"

Suddenly, some twigs snapped nearby and I crouched, signalling for Kenny to be quiet. Thenwe saw it.

A deer.

I signalled for Kenny to walk around, looping so he would attack from it's front. He set on his way and I slowly made my way through the brush. I was almost there… Nearly…

Movement to my left startled me and before I knew it, a walker had leapt on me. I battled with it for a short while but managed to stamp on its skull, effectively scrambling it's brain. A slight burning raised my attention to my left arm. I looked down.

Dark red stood out against my skin, outlining the bite mark that adorned my wrist.


	28. Short, quick update

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 28**

_Movement to my left startled me and before I knew it, a walker had leapt on me. I battled with it for a short while but managed to stamp on its skull, effectively scrambling its brain. A slight burning raised my attention to my left arm. I looked down._

_Dark red stood out against my skin, outlining the bite mark that adorned my wrist._

My heart stopped beating for a moment. It was impossible! Not again, I swore to myself it wouldn't happen again!

"Kenny!" I bellowed, my voice shaking slightly. I stared down in disbelief and felt a few tears slide down my cheek. The deer skittered away but all I could think of was my family… Carley, Clementine and little Logan.

"Damn it, Lee!" Kenny snarled, hitting a nearby tree in frustration. "This better be good! That was our dinner!"

"Do you have your hatchet?!" I pressed on, deciding against retaliating to the 'dinner' comment.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Give me it." I said seeing him approach and slipping my wedding band off, knowing what I was about to do. No way was I leaving Clementine again. He handed me the hatchet sceptically and frowned, scanning my face for any clue as to what I needed it for. I gulped, trying to rid myself of my nerves. "Whatever happens, Ken… get me back to camp."

"Sure, Lee… but why-" His eyes scanned the rest of me and came to rest on my left wrist. He stopped suddenly and shook his head. "No way… _no fucking way!_"

"Look, Ken." I stopped him, laying my left hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to cut it off. Maybe it'll work… but I don't know. Just… get me back to camp afterwards?"

"Whatever you say, bud."

I took a deep breath and gulped down my nerves as I positioned the hatchet against my arm.

"_Don't think… just do it." _I thought to myself, remembering what it felt like the last time. I let out one last breath and brought It down hard. All I can remember is pain.

Again and again, I crashed it down onto my arm, spraying blood over the crisp brown leaves that littered the ground. Eventually, the pain became too much and I felt the comfort of darkness consume me.

**No-One's POV**

Carley was sitting by the fire; playing go-fish with Clementine and watching her father make faces at Logan when she heard it.

"Hey! Anyone!" Kenny's voice boomed from the trees, alerting everyone to his presence. Then, he emerged dragging Lee who had his arm draped around his shoulder. Carley's heart dropped when she saw his left arm… or his severe _lack_ of one. "Help!"

"Oh my god! Lee!" Carley screeched, launching over to Kenny but not forgetting to tell her father to look after her kids. She leaned down and moved his head slightly, terrified at how limp it felt in her hands. "What happened?!"

"He was bitten." Kenny panted, heaving Lee further into camp, where Katjaa met up with them and took him into the medical tent.

"No…" Carley breathed. Her voice was disbelieving. "Not again…"

"What was that, Carley?" Kenny huffed, clutching his chest in effort to keep himself upright.

"Nothing."

"I thought I heard you say something." He shrugged, finally laying his friend down and hugging Carley in a reassuring manner. She shook her head and closed her eyes tightly, trying to will it to be a lie. Maybe if she told herself it wasn't true…maybe she would wake up from whatever nightmare she was in.

"Katjaa…" She whispered, feeling all of the life drain from her. "Please… _please_ help him."

"I'll try, honey." The older woman assured, rolling up her sleeves and grabbing some of the antibacterial gel Lee had found on his latest run to the city. Her large blue eyes were filled with sympathy. "I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best."

As Carley tuned to leave, Kenny's eye caught onto something glittering on the floor. He bent down and picked it up, recognizing it as Lee's wedding band. He caught Carley's arm and smiled down at her, holding out the ring. Tears welled up in her eyes as she took it into her trembling hand. It closed around the small piece of metal and she clutched it tightly.

"Thank you…" She said sincerely, holding it to her chest lovingly… almost as if she was holding onto Lee.

"It's okay." He smiled stroking her shoulder comfortingly. "Go and see your girl. She'll be going out of her mind."

Carley nodded, knelt down and kissed Lee's forehead before heading out of the tent. She was greeted with the sight of a sobbing Clementine being consoled by her father. The small girl looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps and bolted off the log.

"Mommy!" She cried, launching herself into Carley's arms. The older woman's eyes widened slightly at the use of the name, but sobbed into the young girl.

They both stayed in their embrace for a while, comforting one another.

"I… I remember." Clementine muttered when she had calmed down. Carley furrowed her brow in confusion and moved the girl away slightly so she could look at in her eyes.

"What do you remember, sweetheart?"

"You were shot in the head… Lilly…" She sniffled, her bottom lip wibbling slightly. "I remember having to shoot Lee…"

"Oh sweetie…" Carley sighed, bringing her in for a hug once again. "It's okay… it's okay…"

"Is it going to happen again?" Clementine whispered so no-one would hear.

"No." Carley said firmly, standing and picking the girl up. Clementine wrapped herself around the older woman and buried her head into her shoulder. "No, sweetheart… it's not…"

"Promise?"

"I promise."


	29. A Sing-Along With Friends

**A Second Chance**

**Chapter 29**

**A/N-**** Okay, so the song I used in this chepter is 'Hurt' by Johnny Cash (Yes, I know it's originally by Nine Inch Nails). I hope you enjoy this. I'm SO sorry for the long waits for an update! Please forgive me? **

"Hey Lee." Carley said softly to the sleeping man. Her hands played with the fingers on his hand as she allowed a lone tear to roll down her cheek. "It's me…"

"I know you want to be here… it's probably killing you… being away from them again." She laughed sadly and scrubbed her hand underneath her eyes to wipe the tears away. Eventually, she sucked in a deep breath and calmed herself. "I just want you to know… I love you.

"You didn't have the best married life before the world went to shit and you ended up doing something I know you regret. I know I don't tell you nearly enough, but I really do love you, Lee. You've given me the family I've always wanted. You made me feel like a love-struck teenager again.

"With that said… I need you to know that you can let go." She choked, finally letting out the sob she had been holding in. "You don't need to hold on if you're in pain. I wouldn't want you to go through that.

"If you need to let go, I'll tell Logan all about his brave Daddy who risked his own life to find us again." She sniffed, desperately clutching his remaining hand. "And Clem… well, she won't be alone again. She'll have me.

"She called me 'Mommy' the other day." Carley laughed as she remembered the memory. "She was so upset, I didn't want to correct her. She remembers, you know? She remembers everything… me getting shot… you dying… Oh god, it broke my heart to see her like she was. Devastated.

"Anyway, you do what you need to, Lee." She sighed, leaning forward to kiss his sweat-soaked forehead. "I love you. And that I always will"

She stood and left the tent, wiping away the tears that had settled in her eyes. No way did she want the children (or her dad) to see her cry.

"How's he doin' Carley?" Kenny asked her when she rejoined everyone around the campfire.

"Better." She said quietly, sitting down and letting Clementine rest her head on her shoulder. "He's not as pale as he was yesterday."

"That's good." He nodded, not looking too great himself. He wouldn't say it, but he blamed himself for letting it happen. Weren't they supposed to keep a look out for each other? "Look, I'm so sor-"

"It's okay, Ken." She soothed, reaching out to touch his arm. "Knowing him, it'd have happened sooner or later." Clementine stiffened and Carley's grip tightened on her.

"I… I just can't help but feel like I could have done… _something_." Kenny sighed, leaning forward and cradling his head in his hands.

"If anything, we should be _thanking_ you." Carley admitted, running her hand up and down Clementine's arm in an effort to comfort her. "Without you, he'd be dead."

A sharp cry filled the air and she groaned, standing up from her comfortable embrace with Clementine.

"Sorry guys. Duty calls." She sighed, disappearing within the confines of her tent. She was met with the sight of Logan bawling his eyes out while he clutched at his stomach. Carley's face softened as she knelt beside his crib and picked him up. "Oh, baby boy…"

"What's up, huh?" She asked softly, kissing his cheek and cradling him in her arms. "You hungry?"

Almost as If he knew what was coming, he quieted as Carley unbuttoned her shirt and he quickly latched on. His last meal was half a jar of baby food and she wanted to make sure his transition from breastmilk to solids was gradual as to not harm him. She winced slightly as the boy fed hungrily and smiled down at him.

"You'll be okay, right LJ?" She asked softly, stroking his spiky hair with her finger. He simply squeaked as a way of replying and looked up at her through his wide green eyes.

He moved his hand to touch hers as if to say _'it's okay, mommy' _ and finished eating. She brought him up to her shoulder and patted his back, earning a quiet 'urp' from him.

"Want to see your sister and grandpa?" She asked him before standing and taking him outside. Her father grinned at her and waved to the young boy when she came into their line of sight.

"He okay, Carley?" He asked, standing and taking his grandson in his arms.

"Yeah, he's just eaten so he'll be up for a couple more hours." She replied, looking around the clearing and noticing the lack of a certain bushy-haired girl. "Where's Clem?"

"She wanted to go see Lee." Kenny replied sadly. Carley simply nodded before resuming her place on the log. Before she could respond, Chuck and Ben began plucking away their guitars. It was a sad yet hopeful tune.

"_I hurt myself today_

_To see if I still feel_

_I focus on the pain_

_The only thing that's real"_

Ben picked up the next part, strumming a bit faster on his acoustic and looking down at his feet. Molly seemed to beam with pride, not surprising Carley. She knew something was going on between the two and had had it pegged since Lee had turned up with her in tow.

"_The needle tears a hole_

_The old familiar sting_

_Try to kill it all away_

_But I remember everything"_

His voice was deeper than any of them had expected. After all, his speaking voice was very pubescent and crack-y. Molly beamed even more if it was possible and ginned happily, which Ben happily returned, allowing Chuck to take the lead for a while.

"_I wear this crown of thorns_

_Upon my liars chair_

_Full of broken thoughts_

_I cannot repair"_

They both took the lead with Ben adding the high notes. Carley saw her father bouncing Logan on his knee and clapping his hands together in time with the beat. It made her heart skip a beat. Somehow, she found that seeing her son so happy made the world just that little bit more bearable.

"_Beneath the stains of time_

_The feelings disappear_

_You are someone else_

_I am still right here"_

They both strummed hard for the final chorus, obviously loving the experience of playing in front of everyone. Ben, especially.

"_And you could have it all_

_My empire of dirt_

_I will let you down_

_I will make you hurt_

_If I could start again_

_A million miles away_

_I will keep myself_

_I would find a way"_

The guitars rang out and everyone clapped slowly. Molly stood and embraced Ben, who was blushing brightly.

"That was great, guys." Carley smiled as she clapped along with the rest of the group.

A scream pierced through the camp site and Carley bolted out of her seat, her heart hammering in her chest as she dashed towards the source of the sound. To her horror, it led her to the tent Lee was in. A long groan was coming from inside and she heard the clicking of a gun being loaded.

Carley barrelled through the opening and stopped short. There, in the corner of the tent was Clementine curled in a ball with a gun clenched in her hand, rocking back and forth with her head buried in her knees and muttering. "Just eat me! I can't do it again! Don't make me do it again!"

Lee was laid on the ground, groaning and reaching out to the young girl with what he must have thought was both of his hands, as his stump was waving madly too. His head was covered in sweat and his skin was pale, yet his groaning sounded suspiciously like…

"C-Cle-m… I'm… I'm okay…" His voice was gruff from lack of hydration and his eyes were darker than normal being slightly bloodshot. But he was there.

"Clementine!" Carley shouted, deciding to take care of the young girl. She took the gun from her shaky hand and brought her in for a hug. "It's okay, look."

Clementine moved her head away from Carley's chest and let out a half-sob/half-chuckle. Lee smiled at her sleepily and reached out his right hand to hold hers. Carley let go of Clementine before joining her in kneeling beside the man.

"Hello you…" She smiled as she ran her hand through his short hair.


End file.
